m 


STORIES  FROM 
THE  RUSSIAN 
OPERAS 


iu 


STORIES  FROM 

THE    RUSSIAN 

OPERAS. 


BY 

GLADYS  DAVIDSON 

Author  of 

"Stories     from     the      Operas," 

"Tales  from  the  Woods  and  Fields," 

etc. 


^^^ 


PHILADELPHIA 
]..  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 


M 


^•^1 


Printed  in  Great  Britain, 


I 


PREFACE 

The  composers  of  the  Russian  Operas  have 
been  fortunately  placed  as  regards  dramatic 
and  fantastic  subjects  for  the  libretti  of  their 
operas.  The  works  of  their  famous  poet  and 
romanticist,  Poushkin,  proved  quite  a  gold- 
mine for  several  of  them  ;  and  no  difficulty 
appears  to  have  been  experienced  in  finding 
interesting  and  happy  subjects  for  their  in- 
spiration. 

The  stories  selected  for  this  volume  are  those 
of  the  Russian  Operas  best  known  to  opera- 
goers  in  this  country,  most  of  them  having 
already  been  performed  in  London  or  else- 
where. 

The  object,  as  in  the  case  of  my  former 
Stories  from  the  Operas^  has  been  to  present 
all  the  incidents  of  each  libretto,  exactly  as 
they  occur  in  the  various  acts  and  scenes,  in 
the  clear,  readable  form  of  a  short  story.  The 
work  thus   serves   the   purpose   of  a   text-book 


F90 


>  /  > 


vi      STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

for  opera-lovers,  while  providing  at  the  same 
time  a  collection  of  dramatic  tales  of  consider- 
able interest  to  the  general  reader,  giving 
glimpses  of  Russian  history  and  legendary  lore 
and  pictures  of  Russian  scenes  and  character. 


AUTHOR'S  NOTE 

It  is  desired  to  acknowledge  with  thanks  the 
information  and  assistance  rendered  by  Messrs 
J.  &  W.  Chester,  Ltd.,  of  ii  Great  Marlborough 
Street,  London,  W.i,  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume.  It  is  also  desired  to  acknowledge  the 
source  of  **  Mademoiselle  Fill,"  the  libretto  of 
which  is  based  upon  Guy  de  Maupassant's  well- 
known  story. 

G.  D. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Notes  on  the  Operas         .  .  .  .         x 

BORODIN 

1.  Prince  Igor  .....         i 

GUI 

2.  "  Mademoiselle  Fifi  "        .  .  .12 

DARGOMIJSKT 

3.  The  Stone  Guest    .  .  .  -23 

MOUSSORGSKT 

4.  Boris  Godounov       .  .  .  .42 

5.  Khovanstchina        .  .  .  .61 

RACHMANINOV 

6.  Aleko  ......        77 

7.  Francesca  da  Rimini         .  .  -84 

RIMSKT-KORSAKOF 

8.  A  Night  in  May       .  .  •  97 

9.  Ivan  the  Terrible  .  .  .  .118 

10.  Mozart  and  Salieri  .  .  .138 

11.  The  Golden  Cockerel      .  .  •      i49 

vii 


viii   STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

PAGE 

RUBINSTEIN 

12.  The  Demon    .  .  .  .  •      i75 

STRAVINSKY 

13.  The  Nightingale     .  .  .  .186 

TCHAIKOVSKT 

■  14.  Eugene  Oniegin       .  .  .  .193 

Is.  Iolanta  .....      206 

16.  The  Queen  of  Spades        .  .  .225 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Remorse  and  a  Guilty  Conscience  Frontispiece 

(Chaliapin  as  Boris  Codounov) 

Facing  page 

The  Tartar  Maiden  dances  before  her 

Captive  Lover  ......    6 

(Mile  Nesterosiska  as  Khonchakovna) 

"FiFi's"  Partner i8 

(Mile  Dobrovolska  as  Rachel) 

The  Pretender's  Queen        ....        54 

(Mile  Germanova  as  Marina  Mnichek) 

Dositheus    calls  upon   his  Followers  to 

DIE    FOR   their   FaITH  ...  .74 

(Chaliapin  as  Dositheus) 

The  Tsar  realises  that  Olga  is  his  Daughter      i  30 

(Chaliapin  as  Ivan  the  Terrible) 

The  Enchantress  charms  King  Dodon       .       166 

(Mme  Thamar  Karsavina  as  The  Queen  of  Shemakhan) 

The  Preoccupied  Bride- elect      .         .         .180 

(Mile  Drusikina  as  Tamara) 

Unhappy  Memories 202 

(D.  a.  Smirnoff  as  Eugene  Oniegin) 


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STORIES  FROM 
THE   RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

BORODIN 

PRINCE   IGOR 

One  day,  towards  the  close  of  the  twelfth  century, 
the  great  Russian  Prince,  Igor  of  Seversk,  a  mighty 
and  renowned  warrior,  gathered  his  fighting  men 
together  in  the  market-place  of  Poltivle,  his  capital, 
preparatory  to  leading  them  forth  to  battle  with 
his  hereditary  enemy,  the  Polovtsy,  a  Tartar  tribe 
equally  renowned  for  their  bravery  and  prowess  in 
the  field. 

A  vast  crowd  of  the  townsfolk  had  also  met  in  the 
square  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  rousing  send-off 
to  the  departing  warriors  ;  and  on  the  steps  of  the 
palace  stood  Igor's  wife,  the  beautiful  Princess 
Yaroslavna,  bidding  a  sad  farewell  to  her  royal 
husband  and  her  son,  the  handsome  young  Prince 
Vladimir,  who  was  to  accompany  his  father  to  the 
wars. 

The  Princess  had  vainly  endeavoured  to  prevent 
her  husband  from  entering  upon  this  expedition, 
having  had  a  strange  foreboding  that  it  would  end  in 
disaster  ;  and  the  people  also  tried  to  hold  the  warriors 
in  conversation  in  order  to  delay  their  departure,  they, 
too,  being  depressed  by  a  sense  of  approaching 
calamity. 


2     STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

While  the  expeditionary  party  thus  tarried  in  the 
square  an  ecHpse  of  the  sun,  which  fell  due  that 
day,  came  on  apace  ;  and  as  the  light  thus  vanished 
and  an  uncanny  darkness  overshadowed  the  heavens, 
the  superstitious  people,  taking  this  disturbance  of 
Nature  as  a  certain  omen  of  disaster  to  their  arms, 
fell  upon  their  knees  and  implored  their  Prince  to 
abandon  his  project  and  to  remain  with  them. 

Prince  Igor,  however,  was  not  to  be  scared  by 
signs  and  omens  ;  and  having  learned  that  his  foes, 
the  Polovtsy,  had  been  driven  by  another  rival  prince 
into  the  Plains  of  the  Don,  he  determined  to  go 
forward  with  his  plan  of  meeting  them  there,  expect- 
ing thus  to  take  them  at  a  disadvantage. 

He,  therefore,  proceeded  calmly  to  place  the  affairs 
of  state  in  the  hands  of  his  brother-in-law,  Prince 
Galitsky,  and  then  bade  a  final  loving  farewell  to 
his  wife  ;  and  as  the  sun  peeped  forth  once  more  from 
behind  its  enveloping  shadow,  he  marshalled  his 
warriors,  and,  with  his  son  riding  beside  him,  set 
forth  with  them  towards  the  plains. 

In  the  weary  weeks  of  waiting  that  followed,  the 
Princess  Yaroslavna  had  to  face  many  difficulties 
and  troubles  ;  for  she  soon  found  that  her  brother, 
Galitsky,  always  a  dissolute  and  licentious  prince, 
now  intended  to  add  treachery  to  his  other  bad 
qualities.  No  sooner  did  he  enter  upon  his  duties 
as  Regent,  than  he  began  to  plot  for  the  usurpation 
of  his  brother-in-law's  state.  In  this  piece  of  bare- 
faced villainy,  he  was  assisted  by  two  clever  rogues 


PRINCE  IGOR 


named  Skoula  and  Eroshka,  who,  having  deserted 
from  Prince  Igor's  army,  were  wiUing  enough  to 
accept  the  bribes  now  offered  them  by  the  base 
Gahtsky ;  and  as  they  were  also  famed  as  bards 
and  skilful  performers  upon  the  native  musical 
instruments  of  the  period,  they  were  welcome  guests 
wherever  they  went.  Thus  were  the  deserter  min- 
strels, while  pursuing  a  seemingly  innocent  calling, 
able  to  carry  the  seditious  messages  of  the  treacherous 
Regent  into  the  homes  of  those  inhabitants  of  the 
city  who  were  sufficiently  base  to  listen  to  a  scheme 
for  the  betrayal  of  their  liege  lord. 

While  hatching  this  dastardly  plot,  the  intending 
usurper  did  not  fail  also  to  employ  his  powers  as 
Regent  in  order  to  pander  to  his  own  pleasures ; 
and  by  indulging  too  freely  in  his  libertine  vices,  he 
unconsciously  brought  about  the  discovery  of  his 
secret  plot. 

One  day,  as  Igor's  faithful  wife,  the  Princess 
Yaroslavna,  sat  in  the  reception  hall  of  the  palace, 
sighing  as  she  thought  of  her  absent  lord,  a  party 
of  young  maidens  suddenly  interrupted  her  musings 
by  flinging  themselves  at  her  feet  and  entreating 
her  protection,  declaring  tearfully  that  one  of  their 
fairest  companions  had  been  abducted  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  licentious  Regent,  Prince  Galitsky. 

Greatly  distressed  at  the  story  told  by  the  weeping 
girls,  Yaroslavna  determined  to  sift  the  matter  to 
the  bottom  ;  and,  on  instituting  further  inquiries, 
she  discovered,  in  addition,  the  whole  perfidious  plot 


4     STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

for  the  overthrow  of  her  absent  lord  which  had  been 
set  on  foot  by  the  treachery  of  her  brother. 

When,  therefore,  Prince  GaUtsky  presently  entered 
the  hall,  followed  by  the  lords  of  the  Court,  she 
denounced  him  before  all  as  a  traitor ;  and  after  a 
stormy  scene,  in  which  she  faced  his  baffled  fury 
unflinchingly,  she  deprived  him  of  his  authority  and 
drove  him  from  the  Court  with  indignation  and 
contumely. 

Even  as  this  painful  scene  concluded,  a  terrified 
messenger  from  the  seat  of  war  hastened  into  the 
presence  of  the  Princess,  bearing  the  terrible  news 
that  the  noble  Prince  Igor  had  met  with  disaster  to 
his  arms,  the  Russian  warriors  having  been  utterly 
defeated  by  the  Polovtsy,  and  that,  worst  tidings 
of  all,  the  Prince  and  his  gallant  son  Vladimir  had 
been  carried  away  with  their  remaining  followers  as 
prisoners  into  the  Tartar  camp.  Nor  was  this  all — 
elated  with  their  victory,  the  Tartar  warriors  were 
even  at  that  moment  marching  on  Poltivle,  with 
the  object  of  sacking  the  city  and  reducing  its  in- 
habitants to  slavery. 

At  first,  all  were  stunned  by  the  fearful  tidings 
brought  by  the  distracted  messenger ;  but  presently 
their  patriotic  feelings,  stirred  by  this  national 
disaster  and  increased  by  the  sight  of  their  helpless, 
grief-stricken  Princess,  roused  the  nobles  into  an 
outburst  of  loyal  devotion,  and,  drawing  their  swords, 
they  bade  their  liege  lady  not  to  despair,  swearing  to 
defend  her  until  death  should  claim  them. 


PRINCE  IGOR 


Meanwhile,  the  defeated  Prince  Igor  lay  chafing 
in  the  Tartar  camp,  even  though  an  honoured  prisoner; 
for  his  captor,  the  Khan  Khontchah,  was  an  Oriental 
of  the  noblest  type,  and,  with  the  chivalrous  spirit 
of  his  race,  treated  the  brave  enemy  now  in  his  power 
with  the  utmost  courtesy  and  honour,  so  that  the 
captive  Igor  experienced  no  hardship  or  indignity 
but  only  suffered  in  spirit  from  anxiety  as  to  the  fate 
of  his  fair  city  and  of  his  beloved  wife. 

As  for  the  gallant  young  Prince  Vladimir,  he  also 
was  treated  as  an  honoured  guest ;  and  his  woes  were 
soon  forgotten  when  he  was  invited  into  the  presence 
of  the  Khan's  beautiful  daughter,  Khonchakovna, 
with  whom  he  quickly  fell  in  love.  Nor  was  it  long 
ere  his  love  was  returned  ;  for  the  Tartar  maiden  was 
instantly  attracted  by  the  handsome  young  captive, 
and,  with  the  fiery  ardour  of  the  East,  she  readily 
responded  to  the  eager  wooing  of  the  Russian  Prince. 

With  the  magnanimity  of  a  noble  conqueror  and  the 
courteous  hospitality  of  the  Eastern  potentate,  the 
Khan  ordered  a  sumptuous  banquet  to  be  prepared  in 
honour  of  his  distinguished  guests  ;  and  Igor  and  his 
son  were  astonished  at  the  brilliant  festivities  thus 
provided  for  them,  which  far  excelled  any  entertain- 
ment of  the  kind  they  had  ever  experienced  before. 

After  the  banquet  was  over,  a  number  of  beautiful 
dancing  girls  were  introduced  into  the  midst  of  the 
company  to  give  an  exhibition  of  the  wild  barbaric 
dances  of  the  East,  their  performance  being  accom- 
panied  by   skilful   musicians   who  played   exquisite 

B 


6     STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

airs  upon  their  weird  native  instruments.  The 
beauty  of  these  maidens,  the  grace  of  their  move- 
ments, and  the  wonderful  music  of  the  players,  together 
with  the  blaze  of  jewels  and  the  gorgeous  costumes 
and  tent  decorations  lingered  long  in  the  memories 
of  the  Russian  captives  ;  and  the  honour  thus  shown 
him  helped  Prince  Igor  to  bear  his  woes  with  more 
resignation,  though  he  still  could  not  refrain  from 
giving  vent  to  his  grief  and  shame  from  time  to  time. 
On  one  of  these  latter  occasions  he  was  approached 
by  a  renegade  Polovtsy  soldier,  by  name  Ovlour, 
who  happened  to  be  a  Christian,  and  who,  eager  to 
help  a  captive  of  his  own  religion,  laid  a  plan  of 
escape  before  the  Russian  Prince,  declaring  that  this 
would  not  be  a  difficult  matter  to  carry  out  with  the 
assistance  he  was  prepared  to  give.  But  the  noble 
Igor,  appreciating  the  kindness  and  consideration 
with  which  he  had  been  treated  by  the  Tartar  Khan, 
felt  an  equal  honour  within  himself  which  forbade  him 
to  repay  the  latter's  chivalry  by  thus  breaking  his 
parole ;  and,  though  sorely  tempted,  he  proudly 
declined  the  offer.  He,  therefore,  continued  to 
endure  his  captivity  with  outward  resignation,  though 
inwardly  chafing  at  the  hard  misfortune  which  had 
befallen  him.  Meanwhile,  the  young  Prince  Vladimir 
and  the  lovely  Tartar  maiden,  Khonchakovna, 
pursued  their  love-making  under  the  most  romantic 
conditions,  oblivious  of  what  the  future  might  hold 
for  them,  and  living  only  for  the  joyful  meetings 
each  present  day  brought  them. 


The  Tartar  Maiden  dances  before  her  Captive  Lover. 

(Mile  Neslerosiska  as  Khonchakovna.') 


PRINCE  IGOR 


Some  weeks  later,  the  victorious  Tartar  army 
returned  to  the  Polovtsy  camp,  laden  with  the  rich 
treasures  recently  taken  in  the  sack  of  Poltivle, 
bringing  in  also  many  prisoners  they  had  captured 
after  breaking  down  the  defences  of  the  city  ;  and 
upon  their  arrival  great  rejoicings  were  held  by  the 
victors,  banquets  were  given,  and  the  wildest  orgies 
of  dancing,  feasting  and  drinking  took  place  in  every 
tent. 

And  now  the  temptation  to  escape  was  more  than 
the  wretched  Igor  could  resist ;  and  the  sight  of  his 
own  men  being  brought  into  the  enemy's  camp  as 
captives  and  the  knowledge  that  his  city  had  been 
sacked  and  that  even  his  beloved  wife  might  be  in 
danger  of  captivity,  stirred  his  chafing  spirits  to 
such  a  pitch  of  despair  that  he  determined  to  accept 
the  renegade's  offer  of  facilitating  his  escape,  feeling 
now  that  he  was  justified  in  doing  so. 

He  sent  for  Ovlour,  therefore,  and  listened  eagerly 
to  his  daring  plans  for  escape  in  company  with  young 
Vladimir ;  and  the  royal  captives  arranged  to  steal 
out  of  the  camp  that  same  night  when  the  revels 
were  at  their  highest,  knowing  well  that  it  would  be 
quite  an  easy  matter  to  step  past  the  already  drunken 
guards  and  thus  reach  the  plains  in  safety,  where 
horses  would  be  waiting  for  them. 

All  the  elaborate  plans  made  by  Ovlour  worked  out 
satisfactorily  ;  but  just  as  the  time  arrived  for  the 
departure  of  the  runaways,  there  came  an  unexpected 
and  unforeseen  obstacle. 


8     STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

The  Tartar  maiden,  Khonchakovna,  seeking  her 
lover  in  accordance  with  her  frequent  custom,  dis- 
covered the  preparations  of  the  plotters  just  as  they 
were  about  to  set  forth  ;  and  with  true  Eastern 
fervour,  she  passionately  entreated  Vladimir  not 
to  leave  her  to  die  of  grief  and  despair,  declaring  that 
she  could  not  live  without  his  love. 

The  young  Russian  Prince  was  now  placed  in  a 
heart-rending  predicament,  compelled  to  choose 
between  love  and  duty  ;  and  after  a  hard  struggle 
he  stifled  for  a  few  brief  moments  the  yearning  of  his 
heart,  and  yielded  to  the  stern  pleading  of  his  father 
who,  already  mounted,  now  spurred  on  his  steed.  He 
was  about  to  spring  upon  his  own  horse  and  to  follow 
in  filial  obedience,  when  Khonchakovna  flung  herself 
upon  him,  and,  winding  her  clinging  arms  around  his 
neck,  held  him  back  by  sheer  force,  declaring  fiercely 
that  she  would  never  part  from  him  while  the  breath 
of  life  remained  in  her.  Nor  did  the  passionate  maiden 
relax  her  detaining  hold  upon  the  lover  whom  the 
vicissitudes  of  war  had  sent  to  her  until  Prince  Igor 
and  Ovlour  had  successfully  passed  the  camp's 
drunken  sentries  and  had  vanished  into  the  darkness 
beyond ;  and  then  Vladimir,  no  longer  influenced 
by  his  father's  domination,  and  realising  that  his 
chance  of  escape  had  gone,  yielded  to  the  dictates  of 
his  heart  and  willingly  enough  returned  to  the  revels 
with  his  beloved  one,  declaring  himself  ready  to  live 
and  even  to  die  for  her  alone. 

And  death  came  very  nigh  to  him  within  the  next 


/ 


PRINCE  IGOR 


few  hours  ;  for,  when  morning  broke,  the  escape  of 
Prince  Igor  was  discovered  ;  and  the  Tartar  soldiers, 
furious  because  their  own  careless  revellings  had  made 
the  escape  possible  and  eager  to  vent  their  wrath 
and  disappointment  upon  the  young  Prince,  seized 
Vladimir  and  would  have  slain  him  then  and  there 
had  not  the  dignified  Khan,  still  true  to  his  benign 
and  noble  character,  sternly  ordered  the  prisoner's 
release,  observing  with  true  Eastern  philosophy  that 
he  had  a  better  plan  for  reconcihng  the  young  Prince 
to  his  captivity  than  putting  him  to  death  or  even 
tightening  his  bonds.  "  The  bonds  of  Love  are 
stronger  than  iron  bands,"  he  added,  as  he  placed  the 
hands  of  Vladimir  in  those  of  Khonchakovna  :  "  there- 
fore, he  shall  be  wedded  to  my  daughter,  who  holds  his 
heart  in  thrall  and  from  whom  he  will  have  no  desire 
to  escape." 

So  the  young  Russian  Prince  was  wedded  to  the 
Tartar  maiden  ;  and  they  lived  happily  together  in 
the  sunshine  of  each  other's  love. 

Meanwhile,  the  unhappy  Princess  Yaroslavna  pined 
and  mourned  in  her  lonely  palace,  which  lay  partly  in 
ruins  ;  and  though  she  had  escaped  from  indignity 
at  the  hands  of  the  invaders  by  remaining  in  hiding 
until  their  departure,  there  now  seemed  nothing  left 
for  her  to  live  for,  since  she  felt  that  by  this  time  her 
well-beloved  lord  and  her  gallant  son  were  surely 
dead. 

Every  now  and  again,  however,  a  faint  hope  would 
creep  into  her  heart  once  more  ;   and  then  she  would 


10  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

take  food  with  the  few  faithful  attendants  who  still 
remained  with  her,  and  would  endeavour  to  cheer 
herself  and  them. 

One  day,  after  many  weary  weeks  of  waiting  had 
gone  by,  Yaroslavna  went  out  upon  the  terrace  of 
the  palace,  on  every  side  of  which  lay  broken  walls 
and  loosened  stones  to  bear  witness  to  the  sack  of  the 
city  by  the  Tartar  hordes  ;  and  as  she  gazed  across 
the  ruined  city  and  over  the  bare  fields  beyond,  she 
observed  two  horsemen  approaching  at  a  furious  pace. 

At  first,  fearing  that  these  travellers  might  prove  to 
be  Tartar  soldiers  returning  to  effect  her  capture,  she 
was  about  to  fly  to  her  former  hiding-place,  when  a 
second  glance  revealed  to  her  astonished  gaze  and 
unbounded  joy  the  fact  that  the  leading  horseman 
was  her  own  beloved  husband.  Prince  Igor,  whilst 
his  sole  attendant  was  the  faithful  Ovlour,  who  had 
so  successfully  arranged  the  escape. 

A  tender  and  truly  thankful  reunion  took  place 
between  the  royal  pair,  whose  love  and  conjugal 
happiness  had  ever  been  of  that  ideal  and  edifying 
quality  only  enjoyed  by  the  noblest  natures  ;  and 
after  gathering  their  few  scattered  followers  around 
them  once  more,  the  Prince  and  Princess  entered  the 
citadel  to  return  thanks  for  their  wonderful  deliver- 
ance and  to  take  up  the  reins  of  government  once 
more. 

As  it  happened,  the  two  minstrel  rogues,  Skoula  and 
Eroshka,  who  had  assisted  the  traitor.  Prince  Galitsk3% 
in  his  evil  schemes,  were  skulking  about   the  pre- 


PRINCE  IGOR  II 


cincts  of  the  historic  edifice  as  the  royal  procession 
approached ;  and,  in  order  to  save  their  own  skins 
and  to  incUne  popular  opinion  in  their  favour,  should 
awkward  questions  be  asked  later  on,  they  hastened 
to  the  belfry  and  set  the  bells  ringing  merrily — thus 
cunningly  giving  the  impression  of  at  least  present 
loyalty  by  their  eager  haste  to  acquaint  the  scattered 
populace,  by  their  joyful  bell-ringing,  of  the  happy 
return  of  the  well-beloved  Prince  Igor. 


GUI 


"MADEMOISELLE     FIFI" 

During  the  never-to-be-forgotten  January  of  1871, 
when  the  Franco-German  War  was  raging  and  France 
was  still  suffering  the  terrible  woes  of  invasion  by  her 
hated  enemy,  a  party  of  Prussians  were  in  occupa- 
tion of  the  pretty  little  village  of  Uville,  where, 
owing  to  the  bad  weather  conditions  and  the  exigencies 
of  the  moment,  they  were  compelled  to  remain  for  a 
much  longer  period  than  they  had  at  first  anticipated. 

The  invading  officers  had  installed  themselves  in  the 
fme  old  Chateau  d' Uville  as  their  head-quarters  ; 
and  here,  greatly  to  their  disgust,  they  were  compelled 
to  pass  many  weary  days  of  inactivity,  without  even 
amusements  or  distractions  of  any  kind.  The  tempes- 
tuous weather  and  incessant  rain  made  outdoor 
adventures  impossible ;  and  they  quickly  exhausted 
such  amusement  as  was  to  be  obtained  by  exploration 
of  the  chateau  and  interest  in  its  many  wonderful  art 
treasures.  In  fact,  they  had  no  admiration,  but  only 
contempt,  for  the  latter ;  and  they  had  even  applauded 
the  Vandal-like  behaviour  of  the  youngest  Lieutenant, 
the  Marquis  Wilhem  Eyrik,  in  wantonly  destroying 
many  of  the  most  beautiful  works  of  art  in  their 
temporary  abode. 

This  latter  degenerate  youth — who  passed  by  the 
name  of  "  Mademoiselle  Fifi,"  owing  to  his  effeminate 


"MADEMOISELLE  FIFI  "  13 

appearance,  which  was  accentuated  by  a  fair  com- 
plexion, a  small  slender  figure  pinched  in  at  the  waist, 
and  a  habit  of  expressing  his  scorn  for  things  that 
did  not  meet  with  his  approval  by  the  contemptuous 
phrase  "  fi,  fi  done  " — found  real  delight  and  a  con- 
tinual amusement  in  defacing  the  treasures  about 
him  which  had  been  collected  during  many  years  past 
by  the  former  seigneurs  of  the  chateau.  Evidence 
of  his  wanton  love  of  destruction  was  to  be  found  in 
every  room  of  the  castle — more  notably  so  in  the 
large  salon  which  served  as  the  chief  meeting-room  of 
the  officers. 

In  the  salon  in  question  he  had  allowed  his  vulgar 
fancy  to  run  riot,  and,  out  of  pure  wantonness,  had 
slashed  the  priceless  Gobelin  tapestries  on  the  walls 
into  ribbons  with  his  sword,  and  had  cracked  the 
crystal  chandeliers  and  mirrors  with  well-aimed 
bullets  from  his  pistol.  Even  the  family  portraits  had 
been  maltreated ;  for,  adding  insult  to  injury,  he 
had  thought  it  a  good  joke  to  stick  ugly  German  pipes 
into  the  canvases  representing  cardinals,  judges  and 
knights  in  armour,  in  order  to  vulgarise  the  aristo- 
cratic features  painted  thereon  by  various  master 
hands.  Upon  the  portrait  of  a  proud  lady  he  had 
sketched  in  charcoal  a  huge  pair  of  German  mous- 
taches ;  and  other  flagrant  examples  of  his  insulting 
attentions  were  to  be  seen  here  and  there. 

In  this  apartment,  one  day  after  dejeuner ^  the 
commanding  officer.  Major  the  Comte  de  Farlsberg, 
sat  smoking  and  drinking  with  his  subordinates. 


14  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

As  usual,  the  junior  officers  soon  began  to  grumble 
at  the  atrocious  weather  and  the  deadly  dullness 
of  their  present  monotonous  existence.  The  Major 
commiserated  with  them  good-naturedly,  bidding 
them  follow  the  example  of  their  young  companion. 
Lieutenant  Eyrik,  who  could  always  find  some  way 
of  amusing  himself,  even  if  the  results  were  disastrous  ; 
but  the  young  men  only  showed  further  signs  of 
restiveness,  declaring  that  the  childish  amusements  of 
"  Mademoiselle  Fifi"  had  no  attraction  for  them.  Even 
the  story  of  Fifi's  latest  exploit — the  exploding  of  a 
small  mine  in  the  art  gallery  of  the  chateau,  full  of 
famous  pictures,  priceless  ceramics,  carvings  and 
other  exquisite  works  of  art,  most  of  which  had,  in 
consequence  of  the  explosion,  been  destroyed — did 
not  restore  their  drooping  spirits  ;  and  seeing  that, 
evidently,  they  had  some  request  to  make  of  him,  the 
Major  bade  them  unburden  their  minds. 

The  Captain,  Baron  de  Kelweingstein,  pushed 
forward  by  the  others  as  spokesman,  now  begged  the 
Major  to  allow  them  to  indulge  in  an  evening  of 
festivity,  and  to  invite  some  lively  girls  from  the 
neighbouring  town  of  Rouen  to  join  them  in  making 
merry  for  a  few  hours. 

So  strong  were  their  appeals,  that  the  good-natured 
Major — himself  secretly  pleased  at  the  thought  of 
what  promised  to  be  a  pleasant  respite  from  the 
weariness  of  inaction — agreed  to  the  suggestion. 
The  wily  young  Captain,  fearful  lest  his  senior  should 
change   his   mind,    immediately   made   the   arrange- 


"MADEMOISELLE  FIFI"  15 

ments  for  the  revels  to  be  held  that  night,  and  quickly 
sent  a  covered  baggage-wagon  into  Rouen  in  charge 
of  his  own  servant,  who  bore  to  a  rakish  officer  friend 
there  a  note  requesting  the  latter  to  select  a  party 
of  the  most  charming  of  the  light-living  ladies  of 
the  town  and  to  send  them  to  the  Chateau  d'Uville 
in  the  returning  wagon. 

The  Major,  forbearing  to  reprimand  the  Captain  for 
his  precipitancy,  the  prospect  of  the  approaching 
frolic  being  equally  enticing  to  himself  as  to  his 
juniors,  directed  the  young  men  to  go  forward  with 
their  plans  and  to  see  that  nothing  was  lacking  for 
the  pleasure  of  themselves  and  their  lady  guests.  He 
then  turned  aside  and  gazed  out  through  the  open 
window  at  the  soaked  country-side  and  dripping  trees. 
As  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  belfry  of  the  little  village 
church  near  by,  he  was  reminded  of  the  defiance  of 
the  brave  old  cur^,  the  Abb^  Chantovoine,  who,  as  a 
protest  against  the  invasion  of  the  Prussians,  refused 
to  permit  the  church  bell  to  be  rung.  The  priest 
was  willing  enough  to  act  as  intermediary  between  the 
invaders  and  his  flock,  and,  by  his  conciliatory  con- 
duct, saved  the  latter  from  many  hardships  and  woes 
that  might  otherwise  have  befallen  them  ;  but  he 
clung  boldly  and  unwaveringly  to  this  one  mild  form 
of  resistance — the  protest  of  a  silent  bell,  by  which 
he  and  the  humble  peasants  upheld  their  national 
honour.  Until  the  invaders  had  been  driven  forth 
and  their  land  was  free  once  more,  the  chimes  of  the 
village  church  should  not  be  heard.     Strange  to  say, 


i6  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  Prussian  Major,  hardened  campaigner  though  he 
was  and  ruthless  though  he  might  be  on  other  occa- 
sions, respected  this  peaceful  protest  of  the  good  old 
Abb^,  whose  gentle  courage  irresistibly  appealed 
to  his  better  nature  ;  and  he  had  given  instructions 
that  the  latter's  wishes  in  this  matter  should  be  obeyed 
by  his  men. 

This  curious  clemency  on  the  part  of  his  superior 
was  greatly  resented  by  the  hot-tempered,  intolerant 
young  Marquis,  who  was  infuriated  at  the  calm 
resistance  of  the  old  Ahh6  ;  and  not  only  did  he  many 
times  call  upon  the  Major  to  let  his  men  themselves 
ring  the  church  bell  merrily  in  acclamation  of  their 
conquest  of  the  village,  but,  with  all  a  bully's  cowardly 
love  of  oppression,  frequently  begged  to  be  allowed 
personally  to  chastise  the  cur^  and  his  village  sup- 
porters for  daring  thus  to  resist  the  conqueror  in  their 
midst. 

The  Major,  however,  had  refused  firmly  to  allow  his 
junior  to  interfere  with  the  instructions  he  had  given 
for  the  old  Abbe's  wishes  to  be  respected  ;  and  the 
church  bell  thus  remained  silent,  while  "  Mademoiselle 
Fifi  "  perforce  had  to  satisf}^  himself  with  his  destruc- 
tive amusements  within  the  Chateau  d'Uville. 

By  the  time  the  Major's  reverie  was  at  an  end, 
he  found  that  the  young  men  were  making  lavish 
preparations  for  their  forthcoming  entertainment  and 
were  already  in  riotous  spirits.  The  large  dining- 
table  was  invitingly  laid  out  for  an  elaborate  supper ; 
and  from  the  well-stocked  cellars  below  an  extravagant 


"MADEMOISELLE  FIFI  "  17 

quantity  of  champagne  and  other  rich  wines  of 
various  kinds  were  brought  up  for  the  delectation  of 
the  revellers. 

Scarcely  were  the  preparations  finished,  when  the 
rumbling  and  bumping  of  an  approaching  baggage- 
wagon  announced  to  the  eagerly  expectant  Prussians 
that  their  guests,  willing  or  not,  had  arrived  ;  and  the 
officers,  shouting  with  delight  at  the  pleasure  now 
within  their  grasp,  hastened  outside,  and  shortly 
returned  to  the  room,  each  escorting  a  pretty  lady  upon 
his  arm. 

These  girls  of  the  town  had,  for  the  most  part,  come 
willingly  enough  ;  for  they  had  grown  accustomed  to 
the  presence  of  the  Prussians  in  their  midst,  and, 
with  the  philosophic  good-humour  of  their  class, 
were  quite  content  to  tolerate  the  amorous  advances 
of  even  enemy  admirers  in  return  for  a  good 
supper  and  any  further  payment  that  might  also  be 
offered.  Therefore,  with  one  exception  only,  they 
entered  whole-heartedly  into  the  gaiety  of  the  young 
men  for  whose  pleasure  they  had  been  brought  to  the 
chateau,  eating  and  drinking  all  that  was  offered  to 
them,  and  cheerfully  enduring  the  rough  and  fre- 
quently insulting  caresses  of  their  hosts,  laughing 
loudly  at  the  vulgar  jokes  and  horseplay  of  the 
latter. 

The  only  one  among  these  free-and-easy  "  joy- 
girls  "  who  resented  the  insulting  attentions  of  her 
partner  was  a  beautiful  young  Jewess,  named  Rachel, 
who,  though  she  had  joined  the  party  of  girls  with 


i8  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

seeming  willingness  and  even  smiled  and  danced  as 
she  entered  the  room,  had  not  come  with  them  to 
the  chateau  for  the  same  purpose  of  merely  amusing 
the  Prussian  officers.  Having  suffered  much  shame 
and  loss  at  the  hands  of  her  country's  foes,  she 
had  seen  in  this  adventure  a  possible  means  of 
securing  revenge. 

Rachel  had  been  handed  over  as  a  partner  to  the 
lively  young  subaltern,  Wilhem  EjTik ;  and  the 
insolent  behaviour  of  this  degenerate  youth  had 
quickly  aroused  her  indignation.  For  "  Fifi,"  though 
pleased  at  having  secured  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
visitors  as  his  prize,  yet  treated  her  with  the  utmost 
contempt  and  rudeness ;  and  the  sensitive,  high- 
spirited  girl  quickly  let  him  see  that  she  hated  and 
despised  him  for  thus  displaying  his  power  as  one  of 
the  conquering  Prussians. 

On  parading  round  the  room  with  her  as  his  partner, 
the  insolent  youth  had  bent  his  head  as  though  about 
to  kiss  her,  but,  instead,  had  blown  a  full  puff  of 
smoke  from  his  cigar  into  her  face ;  and  Rachel, 
angry  at  such  an  indignit}^  though  remaining  silent, 
had  cast  such  a  furious  glance  upon  him  that  the 
Major,  fearing  lest  the  revel  should  be  spoilt  before 
it  had  scarce  begun,  called  the  young  man  to  order, 
and  invited  the  party  to  seat  themselves  at  the  supper- 
table. 

With  the  enjoyment  of  unaccustomed  luxuries 
and  the  lavish  supply  of  champagne,  the  fun  waxed 
fast    and    furious ;     and    it    was   not    long    before 


"FiFi's"  Partner. 

(Mile  Dobrovolska  as  Rachel.) 


..?.'-'.%.• 


"MADEMOISELLE  FIFI  "  19 

the   revel  developed    into    an  orgy   of  excess   and 
licence. 

However,  though  her  girl  companions  adapted 
themselves  readily  enough  to  the  scene  of  levity 
into  which  they  had  been  introduced,  enduring  the 
boorish  attentions  of  their  ill-mannered  hosts  with  at 
least  outward  good-humour,  Rachel  stubbornly  refused 
to  submit  tamel}^  to  the  rough  treatment  she  received 
at  the  hands  of  Lieutenant  Eyrik.  The  latter  had  as 
equal  a  talent  for  tormenting  as  for  destroying  ;  and 
seeing  that  the  beautiful  Jewess  objected  to  his  ill 
manners,  it  gave  him  pleasure  to  tease  and  aggravate 
her  all  the  more. 

Consequently,  he  several  times  dragged  her  to  his 
knees,  twisting  his  fingers  in  the  dark  curls  that 
clustered  around  her  pretty  neck,  and  pinching  her 
arms  and  shoulders  until  her  black  eyes  blazed  with 
increasing  anger  and  disgust ;  but  still  she  preserved 
a  contemptuous  silence. 

Frequently  the  young  officer  was  good-naturedly 
reprimanded  by  the  Commandant,  who  endeavoured 
to  keep  the  revel  within  bounds  by  calling  for  noisy 
drinking  songs,  in  which  all  the  party,  with  the  one 
exception  of  Rachel,  took  part  with  great  hilarity. 

His  partner's  silence,  however,  evoked  further 
unwelcome  attentions  from  the  young  Marquis, 
who  found  the  girl's  increasing  contempt  both  amusing 
and  exasperating,  while  her  dark  beauty,  enhanced 
tenfold  by  her  flashing  glances  and  scornful  demean- 
our, became  more  and  more  alluring.     Suddenly,  he 


20  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

snatched  her  in  a  close  embrace  and  kissed  her  so 
long  and  violently  upon  the  mouth  that  he  even 
bit  into  the  soft  flesh,  with  the  result  that  a  streak 
of  blood  appeared  on  her  chin  when  at  last  he  released 
her.  Furious  at  this  outrage,  Rachel  again  cast  glances 
of  hatred  upon  her  brutal  partner,  as  she  dipped 
her  handkerchief  into  water  and  bathed  her  bleeding 
lip  ;   but  she  still  maintained  her  silence. 

As  the  evening  advanced  the  boisterous  conduct  of 
the  party  increased ;  for  a  long  series  of  toasts  were 
now  proposed,  to  which  the  young  men  drank  so 
deeply  that  they  soon  threw  off  all  restraint  and 
treated  their  partners  more  roughly  still. 

Though  the  other  girls  joined  noisily  in  the  coarse 
hilarity  of  their  hosts,  Rachel  still  endeavoured  to 
remain  proudly  aloof.  The  only  effect  of  her  disdain- 
ful glances,  however,  was  to  produce  guffaws  of 
derisive  laughter  from  the  now  half-intoxicated 
Prussians,  and,  in  particular,  to  increase  the  irritation 
of  "  Mademoiselle  Fifi,"  who,  rising  unsteadily  to 
his  feet  and  raising  an  overflowing  glass  of  cham- 
pagne, drank  to  the  continued  success  of  the  Prussian 
army  and  to  the  utter  annihilation  of  the  French, 
calling  upon  his  companions  to  do  likewise. 

The  other  ofticers  all  honoured  the  toast  noisily, 
but  Rachel,  her  patriotic  feelings  wounded  past 
further  endurance,  now  broke  her  silence  and  hotly 
reminded  the  Marquis  that  it  was  lucky  for  him  no 
French  soldiers  were  present,  or  those  blustering 
words  would  have  been  crammed  down  his  throat. 


"MADEMOISELLE  FIFI  "  21 

To  this,  the  excited  young  Prussian  repUed  con- 
temptuously that  the  French  were  cowards  and  runa- 
ways, and  that  all  the  men  of  France  were  in  the  power 
of  the  victorious  invader  ;  and  he  added  tantalisingly, 
as  he  set  a  glass  of  champagne  on  the  head  of  the 
Jewess  :  "  And  all  the  women  of  France  are  our 
slaves  and  playthings,  too  !  Even  you,  beautiful 
Rachel,  came  willingly  for  my  pleasure  and  embraces, 
you  spitfire  Frenchwoman  !  " 

"  Don't  dare  to  call  me  by  the  honourable  name  of 
Frenchwoman  !  "  cried  Rachel,  her  eyes  blazing  with 
wrath  ;  and  she  raised  her  head  so  sharply  that  the 
wine-glass  was  dashed  to  the  ground,  and  the  cham- 
pagne splashed  in  a  golden  shower  over  her  black 
curls. 

"  What  are  you,  then,  you  fury  ?  "  demanded  her 
tormentor. 

"  I  am  what  you  brutal  invaders  have  made  of  me 
— a  creature  of  the  streets  !  "  cried  Rachel,  with 
bitter  scorn  :  "  yet  am  I  good  enough  for  a  Prussian  !  " 

Scarcely  had  she  thus  spoken  than  the  young 
Lieutenant,  stung  to  madness  by  her  scorn,  sprang  up 
wildly  and  struck  the  girl  a  savage  blow  in  the  face. 
Immediately,  Rachel  fell  upon  him  like  a  tigress,  and, 
snatching  a  knife  from  the  table,  stabbed  him  in  the 
throat — and,  as  the  young  Prussian  fell  back  in  a  dying 
condition,  she  dashed  out  through  the  open  window 
which  led  on  to  the  veranda  and  made  her  escape 
before  the  dazed  officers  had  time  to  seize  her. 

The  Major  and  his  subordinates,  sobered  by  this 

C 


22  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

tragic  end  to  their  orgy,  gathered  round  the  fallen 
body  of  their  comrade  ;  and  presently  as  they  silently 
laid  the  dead  body  of  "  Mademoiselle  Fifi  "  upon  the 
hastily  cleared  table,  to  their  amazement,  they  heard 
the  solemn  tolling  of  the  bell  of  the  old  village  church. 

Upon  demanding  of  the  Abb6  Chantovoine,  who 
entered  the  room  later  on,  why  the  sacristan  thus 
disobeyed  the  order  of  his  superior,  the  good  old 
man  replied  humbly  :  "I  cannot  refuse  to  bid  him 
toll  the  bell  for  one  who  has  passed  away  !  " 

Then,  falling  upon  his  knees,  he  offered  up  a  prayer 
for  the  soul  of  his  dead  enemy. 


DARGOMIJSKT 


THE  STONE  GUEST 

It  was  evening  time  in  Madrid.  Soon  the  quickly 
deepening  shadows  would  merge  into  twilight  and 
darkness  would  reign  over  the  city  until  the  rising 
moon  cast  its  shimmering  mantle  of  pale  silvery 
light  over  the  violet  depths  to  reveal  the  mystic 
beauty  of  a  perfect  summer  night. 

The  evening  strollers  were  already  returning  to  their 
homes,  and  few  people  were  lingering  outside  the 
city  gates  ;  but  within  the  cloister  enclosures  of  the 
famous  Monastery  at  the  entrance  to  Madrid  two 
silent  cloaked  forms  still  lurked  in  the  shadowy 
background,  as  though  anxious  not  to  be  seen,  making 
no  attempt  to  join  the  stragglers  now  returning  to 
the  city. 

These  two  intruders  within  the  holy  precincts 
were  Don  Juan,  the  handsomest  and  most  licentious 
of  all  the  gay  cavaliers  of  Madrid,  and  his  confidential 
body-servant,  Laporello  ;  and  their  reason  for  thus 
lurking  in  the  shadows  and  keeping  themselves  well 
out  of  sight  of  any  chance  passers-by  was  that  they 
were  under  the  ban  of  exile  from  the  fair  city  and 
would  be  arrested  immediately  were  they  seen  by  any 
of  the  officials.  For  Don  Juan  was  not  only  famous 
for  his   amorous   pursuit   of   numerous   fair   ladies, 

23 


24  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

but  also  for  the  deadly  skill  with  which  he  slew  his 
rivals  in  the  duels  and  frequent  night  encounters 
connected  with  his  audacious  love-affairs. 

At  the  present  moment  Don  Juan  was  under  the 
darkest  cloud  that  had  ever  shadowed  his  scandalous 
career ;  and  despite  his  usual  reckless  defiance  of 
authority,  he  was,  to  his  great  chagrin,  compelled  for 
the  time  being  to  move  with  caution  and  to  consider 
every  step  he  took.  In  one  of  the  many  desperate 
duelling  encounters  for  which  he  was  celebrated,  he 
had  deliberately  slain  a  Grandee  of  Spain — Don 
Pedro,  the  Commandant,  one  of  the  most  respected 
and  highly  placed  officials  in  Madrid  ;  and  for  this 
evil  deed  he  had  been  exiled  from  the  city  by  the 
King. 

For  a  few  anxious  days  the  shadow  of  final  disaster 
had  hung  gloomily  over  the  murderer,  who  feared 
for  that  brief  space  of  time  that  he  might  be  called 
upon  to  expiate  his  crime  upon  the  scaffold  ;  but  so 
great  a  favourite  was  he  with  the  King — who  had 
himself  shared  in  many  of  the  secret  adventures  of 
this  gay  cavalier — that  the  latter  had  decided  that 
justice  was  sufficiently  satisfied  by  the  slayer  of  the 
Commandant  being  banished  from  Madrid.  The 
family  of  the  Commandant,  however — and  in  par- 
ticular his  young  wife,  the  beautiful  Donna  Anna — 
thought  otherwise  and  had  sworn  vengeance  upon 
the  murderer  of  their  distinguished  relative,  having 
vowed  to  kill  him  should  he  ever  fall  into  their  hands  ; 
and  this  was  the  chief  danger  the  venturesome  Don 


THE  STONE  GUEST  25 

Juan  had  to  fear  as  he  now  lurked  on  the  threshold 
of  the  fair  city  he  loved  so  well. 

He  declared  this  much  to  the  more  timorous 
Laporello,  who  had  accompanied  him  very  unwill- 
ingly, fearing  that  they  would  almost  certainly  fall 
into  the  hands  of  his  master's  many  enemies  ;  and  he 
added  that  he  was  not  afraid  thus  to  defy  even  the 
orders  of  the  King,  whose  most  favoured  cavalier  he 
well  knew  himself  to  be  and  whose  very  sentence  of 
exile  he  believed  to  have  been  pronounced  solely 
because  of  his  (Don  Juan's)  personal  danger  of  sum- 
mary justice  at  the  hands  of  the  dead  Commandant's 
family. 

"  Cease  to  tremble,  my  good  Laporello  !  "  he  said 
to  his  quaking  servant.  "  If  the  worst  comes  to  the 
worst  and  I  am  captured  by  the  guards,  His  Majesty 
will  only  order  me  to  be  banished  again — and  I  shall 
be  no  worse  off  !  Meanwhile,  if,  under  cover  of  the 
darkness  and  before  the  moon  rises,  we  can  manage  to 
slip  unnoticed  into  the  city,  we  may  enjoy  our  accus- 
tomed nightly  pleasures  in  the  secret  haunts  we  know 
so  well,  without  let  or  hindrance — for,  even  at  this 
moment,  methinks  Don  Juan  still  holds  sway  over  the 
hearts  of  more  than  one  fair  but  frail  lady  of  Madrid, 
none  of  whom,  for  the  love  she  bears  him,  will  be 
likely  to  betray  him  !  " 

This  fact  Laporello  knew  to  be  only  too  true,  since 
the  part  of  Lothario  was  ever  the  role  of  his  unscrupu- 
lous master,  to  whom  the  caresses  of  fair  women  and 
the  passionate  pleasures  of  youth  were  as  the  breath  of 


26  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

life.  No  wonder,  therefore,  the  young  nobleman  found 
banishment  insupportably  irksome,  and  pined  for  the 
sunny  days  and  romantic  nights  spent  in  the  company 
of  the  dark-eyed  beauties  of  Madrid  ;  and  for  the  sake 
of  enjoying  his  old  pleasures  once  more  for  a  few  hours, 
he  thus  boldly  defied  the  law,  risking  his  liberty  and, 
possibly,  his  life,  by  venturing  into  forbidden  territory. 

As  he  moved  impatiently  amidst  the  shadows  of  the 
cloisters  Don  Juan  whispered  to  his  servant  that  he 
now  recognised  the  spot  as  a  place  of  rendezvous 
where  he  used  to  meet  the  pretty  damsel,  Ineza,  one 
of  his  former  conquests  ;  and  he  spoke  enthusiasti- 
cally, even  regretfully,  of  the  fresh  charms  of  this 
early  victim  of  his  passion,  Laporello,  well  accus- 
tomed to  pandering  to  his  master's  many  moods, 
bade  him  be  of  good  comfort,  since  there  was  never  a 
lack  of  fair  ladies  for  him  to  pursue  ;  and  he  asked  him, 
casually,  whom  he  intended  to  visit  that  night — know- 
ing, from  past  experience,  that  his  gay  lord  was  never 
without  an  assignation. 

"  I  intend  to  visit  Laoura,  the  beautiful  actress,  as 
soon  as  we  can  get  within  these  cursed  gates  !  " 
replied  his  master.  "  She  loves  me  still,  and  wiU  give 
me  a  glad  welcome,  I  know  ;  and  I  will  learn  from  her 
all  the  news  of  the  town  !  How  I  pine  for  a  goblet  of 
wine  and  a  fair  woman's  kiss  !  Come,  let  us  see  if  we 
can  make  an  attempt  now  to  pass  the  guards,  for  dark- 
ness is  drawing  on  apace  !  " 

As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  however,  at  that  moment 
a  monk  came  strolling  through  the  cloisters,  who. 


THE  STONE  GUEST  27 

seeing  the  strangers  lurking  in  the  shadows,  asked 
their  business,  adding  :  "  Are  you  of  the  household 
of  Donna  Anna,  the  widow  of  the  murdered  Com- 
mandant ?  " 

Laporello  quaked  on  hearing  this,  but  Don  Juan 
calmly  replied  that  he  and  his  servant  were  merely 
taking  a  stroll  in  the  cool  of  the  evening ;  and,  pre- 
tending that  they  were  strangers  to  the  town,  he 
inquired  further  particulars  as  to  Donna  Anna  and 
her  late  husband.  The  monk,  little  suspecting  with 
whom  he  spoke,  informed  him  that  the  Commandant 
had  been  killed  by  the  shameless  Don  Juan,  whose 
unscrupulous  conduct  and  scandalous  orgies  were  a 
disgrace  to  the  city  and  who  was  now  living  in  exile 
as  a  punishment  for  this  last  evil  deed,  which  crime, 
but  for  the  ill-placed  favour  and  leniency  of  the  King, 
he  would  by  this  time  have  expiated  upon  the  scaffold. 

While  Don  Juan  inwardly  marvelled  that  his  ill- 
fame  should  have  penetrated  even  to  these  outlying 
cloisters  the  loquacious  monk  went  on  to  inform  him 
that  the  murdered  body  of  the  Commandant  had  been 
buried  in  the  grounds  of  this  same  Monastery,  and 
that  a  splendid  monument,  surmounted  by  a  statue 
of  the  late  Grandee,  had  been  erected  in  honour  of 
his  memory  by  his  widow.  Donna  Anna,  who  came 
thither  every  evening  to  visit  the  tomb  and  to  pray 
for  the  soul  of  the  good  husband  she  had  thus  lost  in 
such  untimely  fashion. 

Astonished  at  this  exhibition  of  wifely  devotion — 
having  heard  the  gossips  say  that  the  dead  man  had 


28  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

been  exceedingly  jealous  of  his  wife  and  had  always 
kept  a  strict  guard  upon  her  actions,  refusing  per- 
mission for  her  ever  to  venture  out  of  doors  alone — 
Don  Juan  inquired  casually  if  the  bereaved  lady  were 
pretty  ;  and  on  hearing  from  the  monk  that  the  late 
Commandant's  widow  was  both  young  and  extremely 
beautiful  but  that  she  shunned  intercourse  with  all 
would-be  admirers  and  wooers,  he  became  intensely 
interested  and  desirous  of  making  her  acquaintance, 
flattering  himself,  with  all  a  libertine's  vanity,  that  she 
would  not  long  deny  herself  to  him. 

At  this  moment  a  lady,  clad  in  deep  mourning 
garments,  approached  ;  and  the  monk  informed  the 
strangers  that  this  new-comer  was  none  other  than 
Donna  Anna  herself,  come,  according  to  her  evening 
custom,  to  pray  at  the  graveside  of  her  husband. 

In  a  low,  sweet  voice  Donna  Anna  requested  the 
monk  to  open  the  gate  that  led  to  the  Monastery 
grounds ;  and  the  monk  having  done  so  she  passed 
through  and  vanished  from  sight — but  not  before 
Don  Juan's  inquisitive  gaze  had  discovered  that  her 
long  black  draperies  hid  a  form  of  voluptuous  grace, 
that,  although  her  face  only  showed  indistinctly 
through  the  heavy  veil  she  wore,  her  eyes  were 
wonderfully  large  and  bright  and  that  her  undoubted 
beauty  must  certainly  be  of  a  very  high  order. 

With  his  usual  impetuosity,  his  hot  blood  fired  by 
the  mere  thought  of  this  hidden  beauty,  Don  Juan  took 
a  hasty  step  forward,  in  order  to  follow  and  intercept 
the  veiled  lady  ;  but  Laporello  quickly  drew  him  back 


THE  STONE  GUEST  29 

again,  reprimanding  him,  with  an  old  servant's  free- 
dom, for  desiring  to  intrude,  unasked,  upon  the  grief 
of  the  widow  whose  husband  he  had  slain. 

Don  Juan,  momentarily  ashamed,  drew  back  into 
the  shadows,  though  inwardly  vowing  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  fascinating  widow  later  on. 
Then,  as  darkness  had  now  fallen,  the  two  men  made 
their  way  to  the  city  gates,  through  which  they 
managed  to  slip  unnoticed  just  before  closing  time, 
and,  favoured  by  the  darkness  and  the  long  cloaks 
they  wore  muffled  around  them,  passed  through  the 
streets  without  comment. 

Leaving  his  servant  in  a  certain  spot  with  instruc- 
tions to  rejoin  him  later,  Don  Juan  made  his  way  to 
the  abode  of  Laoura,  the  beautiful  actress,  who  was, 
at  this  time,  the  toast  of  all  Madrid.  Upon  arriving 
at  her  house,  however,  he  found  it  brilliantly  illumin- 
ated ;  and  knowing  that  this  meant  that  an  enter- 
tainment was  being  held  within,  he  was  filled  with 
chagrin.  Prudently  realising  that  he  must  not  show 
himself  in  public  when  he  was  believed  to  be  in  exile, 
he  decided  to  remain  hidden  in  the  grounds  outside 
until  he  had  seen  the  guests  depart,  when  he  would 
make  his  presence  known  to  the  hostess,  whose  lover 
he  had  been  in  the  past  and  who  he  knew  could  never 
resist  his  advances  but  would  willingly  receive  him 
even  though  she  knew  him  to  be  under  a  cloud. 

The  popular  actress  was  indeed  giving  a  supper- 
party  to  a  number  of  her  friends  and  admirers,  among 
whom  was  Don  Carlos,  her  latest  lover ;    and  after 


30  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

her  guests  had  partaken  of  the  feast  she  had  provided 
for  them,  Laoura  began  to  repeat  for  their  further 
entertainment  various  extracts  from  the  play  in 
which  she  had  been  performing  at  the  theatre  that 
night.  Her  efforts  met  with  enthusiastic  applause 
from  her  guests  ;  and  then,  eager  for  their  continued 
admiration,  she  sang  to  them  a  light,  dainty 
song,  which  they  applauded  more  vociferously  than 
ever. 

In  answer  to  their  interested  inquiries,  she  told 
them  that  the  composer  of  this  song  was  Don  Juan  ; 
on  hearing  which  Don  Carlos  was  moved  to  sudden 
anger  and  reproached  his  inamorata  for  caring  to 
sing  lines  composed  by  such  a  villainous  reprobate  as 
Don  Juan,  upon  whom  he  violently  called  down 
maledictions,  declaring  that  his  own  (Don  Carlos') 
young  brother  had  been  one  of  the  many  duelling 
victims  of  this  unscrupulous  libertine. 

Laoura  was  greatly  offended  at  this  outburst. 
Having  favoured  Don  Juan  in  the  past,  she  did  not 
care  to  hear  him  ill  spoken  of ;  and,  now  realising 
this,  Don  Carlos,  fearing,  with  a  lover's  anxiety,  lest 
her  smiles  should  no  longer  rest  upon  him,  at  once 
apologised  for  having  given  way  to  his  jealous  anger, 
and  even  entreated  Laoura  to  sing  the  same  song 
again  as  a  proof  that  she  had  forgiven  him  for  his 
lapse. 

The  actress,  now  all  smiles  once  more,  willingly 
enough  responded  to  his  request ;  and  then,  when  the 
song  came  to  an  end,  she  dismissed  all  her  guests, 


THE  STONE  GUEST  31 

with  the  exception  of  Don  Carlos,  whom,  with  a 
tender  glance,  she  invited  to  remain. 

When  the  other  guests  had  all  retired  Don  Carlos 
began  to  talk  more  confidentially  with  the  fair  actress  ; 
and  upon  learning  that  she  was  only  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  said  to  her :  "  While  you  are  still  so  young, 
all  the  world  seems  fair,  for  you  have  many  admirers 
and  lovers  and  are  happy  because  you  wield  the 
mighty,  but  short-lived,  power  of  youth  and  beauty  ; 
but,  have  you  ever  thought  of  what  will  happen  when 
youth  and  beauty  wanes  and  departs,  and  admirers 
no  longer  crowd  to  your  salons  ?  " 

Laoura,  however,  did  not  wish  to  speak  or  even  to 
think  of  anything  so  unpleasant  as  a  loverless  future, 
for  she  was  gay  and  light-hearted  and  took  joy  only  in 
the  present ;  and,  feeling  suddenly  shy,  knowing 
that  Don  Carlos  was  about  to  declare  his  love  for  her, 
she  gazed  out  through  the  open  window  and  exclaimed 
at  the  beauty  of  the  night. 

Just  then  there  came  a  loud  knock  at  the  door  ;  and 
next  moment  Don  Juan,  having  seen  the  guests  depart 
and  imagining  that  the  beautiful  actress  would  now 
be  alone  in  her  apartments,  made  his  way  into  the 
house  and  unceremoniously  entered  the  banqueting- 
room. 

Laoura  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise  and  dismay  ;  and 
Don  Carlos  emitted  a  curse  as  he  instantly  drew  his 
sword  and  rushed  upon  the  hated  murderer  of  his 
brother.  Don  Juan,  however,  though  furious  at  thus 
finding  Laoura  occupied  with  a  new  lover,  was  equal 


32  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

to  the  occasion,  and,  whipping  out  his  own  sword, 
instantly  engaged  in  a  deadly  duel  with  his  rival, 
whom,  owing  to  his  wonderful  dexterity  as  a  swords- 
man, he  soon  stretched  lifeless  at  his  feet. 

As  Don  Carlos  fell  Laoura  shrank  back,  covering  her 
face  with  her  hands  ;  but  the  ever-successful  Don  Juan, 
always  an  adept  in  such  scenes,  drew  her  tenderly  into 
his  embrace  and  led  her  away  into  an  adjoining  room, 
where  she  quickly  fell  under  the  spell  of  his  personal 
attraction  once  more  and  readily  enough  received  him 
upon  his  old  footing. 

But  Don  Juan  had  not  forgotten  his  sudden  infatua- 
tion for  the  beautiful  Donna  Anna,  whose  half-hidden 
charms  had  so  fired  his  imagination,  and  next  evening 
he  repaired  to  the  Monastery  at  the  entrance  to  Madrid. 
Here,  in  the  disguise  of  a  monk,  he  hoped  not  only 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  fair  widow,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  to  find  a  safe  refuge  from  pursuit  as 
the  murderer  of  Don  Carlos — for  which  new  crime  he 
was  already  being  sought  by  the  officers  of  justice. 

With  his  usual  cool  daring,  he  put  aside  all  thought 
of  his  own  personal  danger  and  gave  himself  up  to  the 
joy  and  excitement  of  the  fresh  conquest  he  hoped  to 
make.  The  half-concealed  features  and  graceful  form 
of  Donna  Anna  had  impressed  and  interested  him  more 
than  he  had  thought  possible,  so  that  he  found  himself 
wondering,  for  the  first  time  in  his  amorous  career, 
what  he  should  say  to  the  object  of  this  sudden  passion. 
In  order  to  calm  himself  somewhat,  he  made  his  way 
to  the  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  late 


THE  STONE  GUEST  33 

Commandant  and  began  to  admire  the  excellent 
likeness  and  fine  detail  work  of  the  life-size  statue  of 
Don  Pedro  which  surmounted  it. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  Donna  Anna,  still 
heavily  veiled,  came  through  the  open  gates  and  made 
her  way  to  her  husband's  graveside,  where  she  was 
much  surprised  to  observe  the  stranger  monk,  who 
immediately  raised  his  bold  eyes  and  gazed  so  eagerly 
upon  her  that,  to  hide  her  embarrassment,  she  turned 
as  though  to  move  away,  saying  in  her  soft,  gentle 
voice  :  "  Pardon  me,  good  Father  !  I  fear  I  have 
disturbed  your  holy  meditations  !  " 

"  Nay,  not  so  !  "  replied  the  pretended  monk  ; 
"  it  is  I  who  must  ask  your  forgiveness  for  intruding 
upon  your  grief  and  prayers  !  " 

Donna  Anna  now  asked  the  young  monk  to  pray 
with  her ;  but,  to  her  amazement,  he  replied  :  "I 
cannot  pray  with  you,  fair  lady,  but,  I  prithee,  grant 
me  the  happiness  of  admiring  you  while  you  pray  !  " 

These  audacious  words  confirmed  the  growing 
suspicion  in  the  mind  of  Donna  Anna,  who  now  threw 
back  her  veil  and  looked  searchingly  upon  the  bold 
stranger,  as  she  said  coldly  :  "  The  holy  Fathers  do 
not  speak  thus  !  You  are  no  monk,  sir,  and  I  must 
request  you  to  leave  these  sacred  grounds  immedi- 
ately !  " 

Don  Juan,  though  his  heart  leaped  at  this  first 
revelation  of  the  lovely  features  of  the  Commandant's 
widow,  replied  humbly  that  she  had  indeed  guessed 
the  truth  and  that  he  was  no  monk.     He  added  that 


34  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

he  was  a  young  man  of  noble  birth,  and  the  victim  of 
a  hopeless  love,  having  donned  his  present  disguise 
in  order  to  have  the  opportunity  of  gazing  upon  his 
adored  one,  who  had  no  knowledge  yet  of  his  passion. 

So  bold  was  the  burning  gaze  she  now  encountered 
that  Donna  Anna  quickly  lowered  her  eyes,  asking 
confusedly  :    "  What,  then,  do  you  desire,  sir  ?  " 

Don  Juan,  with  affected  humility,  replied  that  he 
was  but  an  unworthy  person  who  deserved  not  the 
love  of  a  beautiful  lady  ;  and  he  added  :  "  All  I  now 
wish  for,  madam,  is  death,  and  the  privilege  of  being 
buried  here  at  the  gates  of  the  Monastery,  so  that 
your  fairy-like  footsteps  may  pass  over  my  grave  every 
evening  when  you  come  hither  to  pray  at  the  tomb  of 
your  husband." 

Donna  Anna,  though  truly  amazed  at  the  audacity 
of  the  bold  stranger,  could  not  fail  to  realise  that  she 
herself  was  the  object  of  his  passion  ;  but,  despite 
the  fact  that  his  reckless  avowal  was  not  unpleasant 
to  her  and  that  the  handsome  looks  and  admiring 
glances  of  the  young  man  caused  her  own  heart  to 
flutter  strangely,  she  endeavoured  still  to  speak  coldly 
and  reproved  him  for  daring  to  address  her  thus  at  her 
husband's  grave. 

But  Don  Juan  had  seen  and  read  in  the  one  short 
tender  glance  she  had  been  unable  to  repress  that  she 
was  not  indifferent  to  him  ;  and  he  was  confirmed  in 
this  impression  when  she  stopped  his  next  hot  flow 
of  passionate  words  by  saying  that  she  could  no 
longer  listen  to  him  there,  but  that  he  might  visit 


THE  STONE  GUEST  35 

her  at  her  house  in  the  evenmg  if  he  had  anything  of 
importance  to  say  to  her. 

Then,  as  though  afraid  of  having  acted  rashly, 
Donna  Anna  hastily  dropped  her  veil  and  hurried 
away,  leaving  Don  Juan  full  of  triumph  in  his  con- 
quest and  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  a  new  love 
affair.  He  quickly  sought  out  his  servant  Laporello, 
who  was  waiting  in  the  background,  and  when  the 
latter  reproved  him  laughingly  for  his  shameless 
audacity  in  making  love  to  the  fair  widow  over  the 
grave  of  the  husband  he  had  slain,  he  dared  him  to  go 
back  and  tell  the  Commandant's  statue  what  was  afoot 
and  to  invite  it  to  be  present  also  at  his  meeting 
with  the  lovely  Donna  Anna. 

Laporello,  entering  into  the  joke,  ran  back  and 
delivered  his  master's  invitation,  in  jocose  fashion, 
to  the  statue  of  the  Commandant ;  but,  to  his  horror 
and  dismay,  he  observed  that  the  statue  actually 
bowed  its  head  gravely,  as  though  in  acceptance  of 
the  invitation.  Trembling  in  every  limb,  he  staggered 
back  to  his  master  and  related  to  him  the  uncanny 
occurrence  in  terrified  accents ;  but  Don  Juan 
laughed  at  the  tale,  declaring  merrily  that  his  servant 
must  be  intoxicated,  or  dreaming,  to  imagine  that  a 
stone  statue  could  move. 

"  Nay,  master,  I  tell  you  the  truth  !  "  declared  the 
quaking  Laporello,  in  a  scared  whisper.  "If  you  do 
not  believe  me,  go  and  see  for  yourself  !  " 

Still  laughing  at  the  fears  of  his  servant,  Don 
Juan  gaily  returned  to  the  monument,  and,  with  great 


36  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

bravado,  repeated  his  impudent  invitation  to  the 
statue  to  be  a  guest  that  evening  in  his  own  house 
and  to  witness  the  love-making  between  his  fair 
widow  and  his  murderer  ;  and,  strange  to  say,  even  as 
he  ceased  speaking,  the  statue  again  bowed  its  head  in 
acquiescence. 

Sobered  by  this  weird  circumstance,  Don  Juan  now 
allowed  himself  to  be  hurried  away  by  his  terrified 
servant ;  but  though  Laporello  endeavoured  to  dis- 
suade him  from  keeping  the  assignation  he  had  made 
with  Donna  Anna,  his  sudden  infatuation  for  the 
Commandant's  beautiful  widow  was  so  great  that  he 
refused  to  be  deprived  of  the  joy  of  seeing  her  again. 
Besides,  the  curious  chain  of  circumstances  that  had 
led  up  to  the  meeting  and  the  mystery  connected 
with  the  strange  movements  of  the  Commandant's 
statue,  which  pointed  to  supernatural  agencies  being 
at  work,  only  added  zest  to  what  promised  to  be  a 
delightful  and  exciting  adventure.  Later  that  even- 
ing, therefore,  he  repaired,  with  an  eager  step  and  the 
air  of  an  expectant  conqueror,  to  the  splendid  mansion 
still  occupied  by  Don  Pedro's  widow,  into  whose 
presence  he  was  ushered  at  once  and  whom  he  greeted 
audaciously  with  all  the  fervour  of  an  accepted  lover. 

But  though  Donna  Anna  received  him  kindly,  she 
appeared  to  be  very  sad,  weeping  frequently  as 
though  unable  to  restrain  her  grief ;  and  she  begged 
her  visitor  to  excuse  her  tears,  because  her  bereave- 
ment was  so  recent. 

Don  Juan,  though  he  declared  that  it  was  happiness 


THE  STONE  GUEST  37 

to  him  merely  to  be  in  her  presence,  notwithstanding 
her  tears,  could  not  refrain  from  giving  vent  to  his 
jealousy  for  the  cause  of  her  grief.  Seeing  this, 
Donna  Anna  reassured  him  by  saying  that  there 
was  no  need  for  him  to  be  jealous  of  her  tears,  as  she 
only  wept  as  though  for  the  loss  of  a  kindly  and 
respected  friend ;  adding  that  she  had  never  felt  a 
lover's  affection  for  her  late  husband,  who  had  been 
considerably  older  than  she  and  whom  she  had  been 
desired  by  her  parents  to  marry  because  of  his  wealth, 
her  own  family  being  very  poor. 

To  this  Don  Juan  replied  that  the  Commandant 
must  indeed  have  been  happy  in  having  secured  such 
a  beautiful  wife  ;  and  he  added  passionately  :  "  Would 
that  /  deserved  such  happiness  !  I  would  gladly  be 
your  slave  and  do  your  bidding  for  ever,  and  would 
even  risk  my  life  for  the  sake  of  one  smile  from  you, 
my  beloved  lady  !  " 

Donna  Anna,  though  she  did  not  look  displeased, 
now  turned  away  her  head  and  declared  that  she  could 
not  listen  to  such  words,  for  she  believed  it  was  her 
duty  to  remain  true  to  the  memory  of  her  husband. 

"  Sweet  lady,  do  not  name  that  virtuous  gentleman 
to  me  again,  I  beg  of  you  !  "  cried  Don  Juan,  exasper- 
ated by  her  constant  references  to  the  dead  Com- 
mandant. "  Say  not  that  my  love  is  hopeless,  but 
have  pity  upon  me,  though  indeed  I  deserve  no  pity, 
but,  rather,  dire  punishment  at  your  hands  !  " 

"  But  why  should  you  deserve  punishment  at  my 
hands  ?  "    demanded   the   astonished   Donna  Anna. 

D 


38  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

"  You  have  done  me  no  wrong,  and  I  did  not  even 
know  you  before  this  evening  !  " 

Don  Juan,  reahsing  that,  in  his  extravagant  reck- 
lessness, he  had  gone  too  far,  rephed  confusedly  that 
he  could  not  tell  her  this  reason  ;  but  the  more  he 
refused  the  information  the  more  did  the  beautiful 
widow  persist  in  her  demand,  her  curiosity  being  now 
intensely  aroused,  so  that  she  reproached  him  bitterly 
for  refusing  to  grant  her  first  request,  adding  almost 
tearfully  that  he  must  certainly  have  been  only 
deceiving  her  when  he  had  declared  himself  willing 
to  be  her  slave,  for  he  evidently  did  not  care  to  please 
her. 

Don  Juan  was  now  in  a  quandary.  His  sudden 
infatuation  for  Donna  Anna  had  already  strengthened 
into  a  much  deeper  feehng,  so  that  he  hesitated  to 
make  himself  known  to  her  for  fear  of  being  denied 
the  pleasure  of  ever  seeing  her  again  ;  but  so  per- 
sistently did  she  importune  him  that  at  length  he 
realised  that  he  would  have  to  tell  her  the  truth, 
since  she  was  bound  to  learn  it  sooner  or  later,  and 
he  sought  eagerly  for  the  gentlest  means  of  revealing 
his  identity. 

He  adroitly  turned  the  conversation  round  to  the 
subject  of  her  husband's  murderer,  asking  her  casually 
in  what  way  she  regarded  the  shameless  Don  Juan 
and  how  she  would  treat  him  should  she  ever  come 
face  to  face  with  him. 

"  I  hate  the  vile  wretch  !  "  she  cried,  indignantly 
and  with  great  vehemence.    "  If  ever  I  meet  him,  I 


THE  STONE  GUEST  39 

will  stab  him  with  my  poniard  and  gladly  send  him  to 
the  eternal  torments  he  so  well  deserves  !  " 

"  Then,  take  up  your  dagger  now,  madam,  and  stab 
me  to  the  heart,  for  /  am  Don  Juan  !  Your  enemy 
stands  before  you  !  "  cried  the  young  man,  dramati- 
cally opening  his  vesture  as  he  spoke. 

On  hearing  this  astounding  announcement,  Donna 
Anna,  with  a  cry  of  horror,  fell  back  in  a  fainting 
condition  ;  and  when,  after  the  anxious  and  tender 
ministrations  of  her  visitor,  she  had  recovered  some- 
what, she  endeavoured  to  denounce  him  with  a 
great  show  of  indignation  and  contempt  for  one  whom 
she  had  always  regarded  as  an  unscrupulous  scoundrel. 
But  the  fascination  of  Don  Juan's  dazzling  personahty 
and  charm  of  manner  was  more  than  she  could  resist ; 
and  his  present  air  of  deep  humility  and  well-simu- 
lated contrite  penitence,  coupled  with  his  continuous 
protestations  of  love  and  devotion  to  herself,  made 
such  a  great  impression  upon  her  that  she  soon  found 
her  righteous  anger  melting  away.  She  even  began 
to  show  anxiety  for  him  to  get  to  a  place  of  safety, 
away  from  the  fear  of  arrest,  declaring  that  his  pres- 
ence in  her  house  might  be  discovered  at  any  moment 
should  her  friends  or  relatives  appear  unexpectedly. 

From  this  Don  Juan  rightly  gathered  that  the 
beautiful  widow  was  by  no  means  indifferent  to  him, 
and  seizing  her  hand  in  a  tender  clasp  he  said  in  his 
most  ardent  tones  :  "  Beloved  one,  your  words  put 
hope  into  my  despairing  heart  !  Your  anxiety  for 
my  safety  proves  that  at  least  you  do  not  hate  me  !  " 


40  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

"  Alas,  it  is  true  !  I  only  wish  it  were  possible  for 
me  to  hate  you  !  "  murmured  the  distracted  lady. 
"  I  know  and  feel  that  I  ought  to  do  so,  but  I  find  I 
cannot  !  " 

Encouraged  and  further  emboldened  by  this  con- 
fession Don  Juan  put  his  arms  around  her ;  then, 
saying  that  he  must  indeed  depart,  it  not  being  safe 
for  him  to  remain  longer,  he  humbly  begged  her  to 
kiss  him  once,  in  token  of  her  forgiveness,  so  that  he 
might  have  courage  to  visit  her  again  another  evening. 
To  his  joy,  Donna  Anna,  unable  to  resist  his  passionate 
appeal  and  the  promptings  of  her  own  heart,  returned 
his  embrace  with  an  equal  warmth,  and  for  one  short, 
supreme  moment,  happiness  filled  the  hearts  of  both. 

But  only  for  one  moment,  for,  even  as  they  em- 
braced, they  heard  the  heavy  measured  tread  of 
approaching  footsteps,  followed  by  a  loud,  ominous 
knock  upon  the  door. 

After  a  few  moments  of  terrified  silence  Don  Juan 
opened  the  door  ;  and  there,  to  the  horror  and  amaze- 
ment of  the  lovers,  upon  the  threshold,  stood  the  now 
animated  statue  of  the  late  Commandant,  Don 
Pedro,  with  a  fierce  look  of  righteous  wrath  upon  its 
marble  face  !  As  Don  Juan  stepped  back  involun- 
tarily the  statue  said  sternly  :  "  You  invited  me  to 
come  hither  to-night  as  your  guest  and  I  have  come  ! 
Vile  murderer  and  libertine,  your  end  is  nigh  !  Do 
you  not  tremble  ?  " 

But  Don  Juan,  for  all  his  wickedness,  was  no 
coward,  and  he  replied  boldly  :     "  No  !   I   am  not 


THE  STONE  GUEST  41 

afraid  !  I  invited  you  to  come  and  witness  my 
meeting  with  this  fair  lady  whom  I  love  !  I  now  bid 
you  welcome  !  " 

"  Then  shake  hands  with  me  !  "  commanded  the 
Stone  Guest  unrelentingly ;  and  the  murderer,  with 
bravado,  but  powerless  to  resist,  placed  his  hand  in 
that  of  the  animated  statue,  which  grasped  it  savagely, 
and  held  it  as  in  a  vice. 

Then  Don  Juan  shrieked  aloud  with  pain  and 
terror  as  he  now  reahsed  that  justice  was  at  hand  and 
that  he  must  at  last  expiate  his  many  crimes  ;  and 
as  the  Stone  Guest  held  him  in  a  remorseless  grasp 
and  he  felt  himself  becoming  stiff  and  cold,  he  cried 
with  his  last  breath  :  "  The  end  has  come  !  Farewell, 
my  beautiful  and  beloved  Anna  !  " 


MOUSSORGSKT 


BORIS  GODOUNOV 

A  LARGE  crowd  of  the  humble  people  of  Moscow  and 
the  outlying  districts  were  gathered  one  evening 
during  the  year  1598  in  the  outer  courtyard  of  the 
Monastery  of  Novodievich,  near  the  great  capital  of 
Russia.  Though  the  majority  of  these  ignorant, 
down-trodden  peasants  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of 
the  reason  why  they  had  been  summoned  thither, 
they  meekly  followed  out  the  directions  of  certain 
military  officials  in  charge  of  them  with  the  same 
dull,  blind  obedience  that  had  brought  them  forth 
from  their  homes,  unquestioningly,  earlier  in  the  day, 
at  the  word  of  command.  When  the  officials  sternly 
bade  them  sing  aloud  hymns  and  prayers  of  supplica- 
tion to  their  "  Father,  protector  and  guardian," 
entreating  him  not  to  desert  them  in  their  hour  of 
need  but  to  bring  them  comfort  and  safety  once  more, 
they  willingly  enough  obeyed  ;  but  though  they  sang 
out  the  prescribed  words  of  entreaty  lustily,  the  why 
and  the  wherefore  of  their  supplications  mattered 
little  to  them,  because  long  years  of  oppression, 
suffering,  and  ignorance  had  made  them  impervious 
to  everything  except  their  own  bodily  comforts  and 
discomforts.  All  they  knew  was  that  they  had  been 
commanded  to  sing  these  songs  of  supplication  and 

42 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  43 

that  if  they  ceased  from  doing  so  they  were  beaten  and 
cuffed  by  the  officials — therefore,  they  sang  obediently 
when  the  latter  were  close  at  hand  to  hear  them, 
and  sank  back  into  silent  apathy  or  chattered  and 
squabbled  among  themselves  as  to  the  reason  of  it  all 
when  their  prompters  were  at  a  safe  distance. 

Towards  sunset,  after  they  had  been  singing  most 
of  the  day,  some  of  the  more  enlightened  among  the 
crowd  at  length  and  rightly  guessed  the  reason  for 
their  presence  and  performance,  and  gradually  com- 
municated the  information  to  the  others — that  they 
were  there  to  secure  a  new  ruler  for  their  country, 
and  that  by  their  songs  of  supplication  they  were 
entreating  the  all-powerful  Regent,  Boris  Godounov, 
to  accept  the  throne  of  Russia  and  to  become  their 
Tsar.  Little  did  it  matter  to  them  that  the  ambitious 
Regent's  own  secret  agents  were  thus  bullying  them 
into  entreating  him  to  accept  the  throne  ;  all  they 
realised  was  that  they  were  to  have  a  new  ruler — the 
imbecile  Tsar  Feodor  having  just  died — and  that 
Boris,  the  Regent,  might  just  as  well  be  their  sovereign 
as  any  other  tyrant,  the  more  so  as  they  were  already 
used  to  his  rule.  Neither  did  they  trouble  to  re- 
member the  dark  rumours  that  had  been  rife  some 
years  ago  and  which  had  whispered  the  sinister 
words  "  murderer  "  and  "  regicide  "  in  connection 
with  the  Regent's  name — all  that  was  over  and  done 
with,  a  tale  that  was  told. 

But  for  the  powerful  Boris  Godounov  himself  there 
was    no    forgetting,    only    torturing    remembrance. 


44  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

When  the  great  Tsar,  Ivan  the  Terrible,  had  died, 
his  son  Feodor  had  succeeded  him  ;  but  as  the  new 
Tsar  was  of  weak  intellect,  Boris  Godounov  had  been 
appointed  Regent.  The  next  heir  to  the  throne  was 
Feodor's  young  brother,  Dmitri,  a  beautiful  boy,  who 
early  gave  promise  of  brilliant  achievements  in  the 
future ;  and  Boris,  who  was  intensely  ambitious, 
knowing  that  the  half-witted  weakling,  Feodor,  was 
not  likely  to  live  long,  soon  came  to  regard  the  latter's 
fair  young  brother  as  the  only  obstacle  to  his  donning 
the  purple  himself  in  due  course.  Already  he  held 
the  reins  of  power  ;  and  though  power  was  sweet  to 
the  ambitious  man,  the  thought  of  kingship  was 
sweeter  still.  The  consequence  was  that  the  young 
Dmitri  was  found  dead  one  morning,  stabbed  by  the 
hand  of  an  assassin  ;  and  though  for  a  short  time 
suspicion  pointed  an  accusing  finger  at  the  brilliant 
Regent,  the  latter  defended  himself  so  ingeniously 
that  his  innocence  came  to  be  believed  in  and  his 
powerful  position  was  unassailed. 

When,  therefore,  Feodor  died  in  the  year  1598  Boris 
Godounov  had  little  difficulty  in  securing  nomination 
as  his  successor,  in  default  of  a  direct  heir  to  the 
throne.  He  took  the  precaution,  however,  to  send 
out  his  secret  agents  to  gather  the  common  people 
together  and  to  force  them  to  utter  supplications 
to  him  to  become  their  Tsar,  with  the  idea,  chiefly, 
of  impressing  the  Boyards,  or  nobles.  To  give  colour 
to  the  idea  that  sovereignty  was  being  thrust  upon 
him  by  the  people  against  his  own  wish  he  at  first 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  45 

cunningly  declined  to  become  their  ruler — so  that  the 
songs  and  prayers  of  entreaty  had  to  be  renewed 
with  greater  fervour  still.  Then,  finally,  he  feigned 
to  give  way  to  the  insistent  desires  of  the  common 
people  ;  and  Boris  Godounov  was  crowned  Tsar  of 
Russia  amidst  great  pomp  and  splendour,  and  was 
received  by  the  populace  after  his  coronation  with  a 
tumultuous  and  inspiring  song  of  welcome  and  adula- 
tion, in  which  they  called  down  upon  him  the  heavenly 
blessings  of  glory,  peace  and  contentment. 

But  although  glory  and  the  splendour  of  a  powerful 
King  were  certainly  added  unto  him,  peace  and  con- 
tentment never  came  to  the  remorseful  soul  of  Boris 
Godounov  ;  for  ever  and  anon  the  memory  of  the 
innocent  child,  Dmitri,  murdered  in  years  gone  by 
to  pave  the  way  for  the  attainment  of  his  earthly 
ambitions,  would  rise  up  to  torment  his  guilty  con- 
science, so  that  he  never  knew  the  joys  of  a  peaceful 
mind.  At  the  time  of  his  coronation .  he  had  vowed 
to  heaven  in  a  sincere  prayer  of  consecration  that  he 
would  be  a  just  ruler,  and  had  prayed  for  wisdom  and 
strength  to  use  well  the  vast  power  for  which  he  had 
paid  such  a  terrible  price  ;  but  though  he  hoped  that 
by  exercising  mercy  he  might  also  receive  mercy  and 
absolution  for  that  one  dark  deed,  peace  of  mind  was 
denied  to  him,  and  many  were  the  woes  that  fell  upon 
him.  Though  he  kept  his  coronation  vows  sincerely, 
happiness  did  not  come  to  him,  and  much  of  the  good 
he  desired  to  do  turned  to  evil.  He  hoped  to  make  a 
joyful  marriage  for  his  beloved  daughter,  the  young 


46  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Tsarevna  Xenia,  but  misfortune  overtook  his  plans 
and  the  proposed  bridegroom  met  with  an  untimely 
death  before  the  betrothal  was  consummated.  His 
nobles  plotted  against  him  ;  famine  and  pestilence 
ravaged  the  land  and  drove  his  people  to  despair  ; 
and  finally,  after  he  had  reigned  for  six  years,  a 
gigantic  conspiracy  arose  in  Poland,  from  whence 
there  marched  a  powerful  army  of  rebels  supporting 
an  audacious  Pretender  to  the  throne  of  Russia,  who 
succeeded  in  bringing  disaster  and  death  to  the 
conscience-stricken  usurper. 

Though  Boris  Godounov,  despite  his  ever-present 
remorse  and  fear  of  retribution,  hoped  that  his  secret 
crime  would  never  become  known  and  that  in  the 
pages  of  history  he  would  not  be  branded  as  a  regi- 
cide, having  taken  great  pains  to  cover  up  the  traces 
of  his  guilt,  there  was  one  humble  man  of  peace  who 
knew  all  and  had  placed  this  black  deed  on  record. 
This  humble  man,  who  was  to  prove  himself  the 
Nemesis  of  Boris,  was  a  pious  old  monk  named  Pimen, 
who  was  an  historian  and  the  most  industrious 
chronicler  of  his  time.  In  the  Monastery  of  the 
Miracle,  old  Pimen  would  sit  up  late  into  the  night 
after  his  devotions  for  the  day  were  over,  writing  out 
his  chronicles  in  feverish  haste,  for  he  always  had  the 
fear  that  he  might  die  before  he  had  completed  his 
great  mission,  which  he  believed  had  been  divinely 
assigned  to  him — the  mighty  task  of  setting  forth  his 
country's  history  in  all  truth  and  faithfulness.  As 
his  task  drew  nearer  to  its  close  he  worked  more  con- 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  47 

tinuously  than  ever,  feeling  his  strength  to  be  waning, 
and  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  to  take  rest  at  all ; 
and  one  night  he  sat  in  his  cell  writing  until  the  dawn 
and  brought  his  chronicle  up  to  the  accession  of  the 
present  ruler,  Boris  Godounov. 

As  old  Pimen  worked  through  the  night  by  the 
light  of  a  solitar\^  candle,  scarcely  lifting  his  cramped 
hand  from  the  closely  written  parchment,  a  young 
monk,  named  Gregory,  slept  in  a  corner  of  the  cell. 
Every  now  and  again  the  sleeper  would  utter  inco- 
herent words  and  toss  his  arms  high  in  agitation,  as 
though  excited  by  some  strange  dream — as  indeed  he 
was.  Gregory's  young  and  ardent  spirit  had  not  yet 
been  crushed  or  subdued  by  his  brief  monastic  life, 
and  he  had  never  been  able  to  beat  down  the  thoughts 
of  the  bright  world  without,  where  adventure,  fame, 
glory  and  love  awaited  those  who  sincerely  sought 
such  earthly  joys,  and  often  in  his  sleep  he  would 
dream  of  these  forbidden  things. 

Gregory  was  specially  attracted  by  the  gentle  old 
Pimen,  who  had  taught  him  much  of  his  own  learning 
and  whose  knowledge  of  the  great  world  and  of  the 
history  of  the  past  had  a  strange  fascination  for  him  ; 
and  he  would  often  pass  the  night  in  the  latter's 
cell,  listening  eagerly  as  the  old  man  read  out  to  him 
from  his  chronicle,  until,  from  sheer  youthful  weari- 
ness, he  fell  asleep.  This  had  happened  on  the  night 
when  Pimen  had  brought  his  chronicle  up  to  date. 
When  the  young  monk  had  at  length  fallen  back  into 
a  deep  slumber,  tired  out,  he  was  visited  by  a  strange 


48  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

dream  which  had  come  to  him  three  times  lately — a 
dream  in  which  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  stood  on  the 
pinnacle  of  a  tower  with  all  the  people  of  Moscow  at 
his  feet,  who  at  first  acclaimed  him  with  rejoicing 
and  praises  which  later  turned  to  such  execrations 
and  mocking  laughter  and  caused  him  such  terror  that 
he  fell  from  the  tower  to  the  ground. 

The  realistic  force  of  this  dream  caused  Gregory  to 
awaken  suddenly  as  dawn  was  breaking  ;  and  seeing 
old  Pimen  still  writing  by  the  light  of  the  now  guttering 
candle,  he  drew  near  to  him  and  craved  his  blessing, 
telling  him  of  the  strange  dream  that  had  visited  him. 
He  then  begged  his  revered  friend  to  teU  him  about 
the  wonderful  days  of  his  own  early  youth,  when  he 
had  beheld  and  spoken  with  Ivan  the  Terrible  in  all 
his  glory,  when  he  had  fought  against  the  enemies  of 
his  country,  and  when  he  had  loved  beautiful  women, 
had  worn  sumptuous  garments,  and  had  eaten  at 
splendid  banquets.  Old  Pimen  smiled  indulgently  at 
the  eagerness  of  the  youth,  reminding  him  that  such 
earthly  joys  were  but  vanity,  and  that  even  the 
magnificent  Tsar  Ivan  had  known  sorrow ;  and  he 
added  that  the  present  ruler,  Boris,  though  outwardly'' 
glorious  and  seemingly  to  be  envied,  was  inwardly 
filled  with  the  wretched  and  ever-present  remorse  of  a 
regicide.  But  Gregory  was  not  thus  to  be  put  off 
from  indulging  the  natural  longings  of  youth  by  these 
gloomy  pictures,  and  he  eagerly  asked  for  further 
information  about  the  murdered  Tsarevich,  Dmitri, 
and  of  what  age  he  would  have  been  at  the  present 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  49 

time — for  old  Pimen  had  related  all  the  circumstances 
of  this  crime  to  his  young  companion,  whom  he  desired 
should  continue  his  chronicle  after  he  himself  had  been 
called  to  his  long  rest.  The  good  Pimen  replied  that 
had  the  young  Dmitri  lived,  he  would  now  have  been  of 
the  same  age  as  Gregory  himself.  Then,  as  the  voices 
of  their  brother  monks  were  now  heard  in  the  adjoining 
chapel  chanting  their  early  morning  prayers  for 
grace,  the  old  chronicler,  though  weary  and  tottering 
from  his  all-night  labours,  reached  for  his  staff  and 
departed  with  his  young  companion  to  take  part  in 
the  devotions  of  the  day. 

But  though  Gregory  knelt  with  the  good  brethren 
and  appeared  to  be  joining  in  their  prayers  and  chants, 
his  thoughts  we^-e  far  away  ;  for  an  audacious  and 
daring  scheme  had  suddenly  presented  itself  to  him, 
and  his  quick,  active  brain  was  already  planning 
how  to  carry  it  out.  The  murdered  Dmitri  would 
now  have  been  of  his  own  age  had  he  lived — why, 
then,  should  not  he,  Gregory,  appear  in  Russia  and 
impersonate  that  royal  youth,  giving  out  to  the 
world  that  though  news  of  his  untimely  death  had  been 
circulated  years  ago,  he  had  not  been  murdered  as 
then  believed  but  had  been  hidden  in  a  monastery 
until  the  present  time,  when,  learning  his  true  identity 
accidentally,  he  had  effected  his  escape  and  had  come 
to  claim  the  throne  usurped  by  Boris  Godounov  ? 
Even  though  his  representation  would  be  a  fraud,  was 
not  the  deception  justified  if  he  brought  retribution 
upon  the  criminal  Boris  ?     Was  it  right  or  seemly  that 


50  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

a  regicide  should  reign  as  Tsar  of  Holy  Russia,  when 
he,  Gregory,  an  innocent  young  man  who  had  never 
sinned,  would  be  a  more  worthy  ruler,  and  had  now, 
by  means  of  the  knowledge  revealed  to  him  in  old 
Pimen's  chronicle — at  present  a  secret  known  to  no 
one  else — the  chance  of  thus  avenging  the  assassinated 
royal  youth,  and,  at  the  same  time,  of  fulfilling  his 
own  ambitions  and  aspirations  ? 

The  more  the  adventurous  Gregory  considered  this 
stupendous  scheme,  the  more  determined  he  became 
to  carry  it  out ;  and  night  and  day  he  thought  out 
his  plans,  arranging  all  his  subsequent  actions  care- 
fully beforehand.  From  the  conversations  he  had 
held  with  old  Pimen  in  regard  to  the  political  situation 
of  the  country,  he  concluded  that  the  most  advan- 
tageous spot  from  whence  to  launch  his  career  as  the 
Prince  Dmitri  would  be  Poland  ;  for  the  Poles  had 
ever  been  at  variance  with  their  Russian  rulers  and 
were  at  the  present  time  in  a  state  of  great  disaffection 
against  the  reigning  Tsar,  Boris.  They  would,  there- 
fore, be  the  more  willing  to  accept  the  story  he  had 
concocted  and  to  gather  around  him  an  army  of 
rebel  supporters  to  march  against  the  usurper,  whom 
they  already  hated.  Having  thus  boldly  planned, 
Gregory's  first  step  was  to  find  a  suitable  opportunity 
of  escaping,  unnoticed  and  unsuspected,  from  the 
monastery  where  he  had  lived  since  his  early  child- 
hood. 

After  patiently  waiting  for  some  considerable  time 
a  chance  at  length  presented  itself ;    and  the  young 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  51 

monk,  Gregory,  slipped  out  from  the  monastery 
grounds  in  the  dead  of  night  and  started  forth  upon 
his  adventurous  career  as  Pretender  to  the  throne  of 
Russia.  He  was  strong  and  of  a  good  courage,  and 
had,  moreover,  infinite  faith  in  his  own  powers  and 
such  absolute  confidence  in  the  story  he  had  to  tell 
that  he  came  almost  to  believe  himself  actually  to  be 
the  long-lost  Dmitri.  Strange  to  say,  so  successful 
was  his  audacious  imposture,  so  well-conceived  were 
all  his  plans  and  so  remarkably  did  circumstances  and 
events  play  into  his  hands,  that  he  actually  attained 
to  the  height  of  his  ambition  and  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  Russia  upon  the  death  of  Boris,  reigning  as  Tsar 
for  a  short  time  until  he,  in  his  turn,  was  cast  down 
from  the  pinnacle  of  glory  to  which  he  had  so  pre- 
sumptuously aspired  and  was  slain  with  his  adherents 
— so  that  the  warning  prophecy  given  to  him  in  the 
strange  dream  that  had  visited  him  three  times  in 
succession  before  he  started  upon  his  mad  adventure 
was  fulfilled  in  all  its  details. 

After  escaping  from  the  monastery  Gregory  first  of 
all  fell  in  with  a  coUple  of  roving  friars,  named  Var- 
laam  and  Missail,  who,  though  wearing  the  ragged 
garb  of  holy  pilgrims,  and  having  once  upon  a  time 
probably  been  attached  to  some  monastery,  were  now 
merely  vagabonds,  wandering  from  place  to  place  and 
securing  a  precarious  living  by  begging  alms  and  food 
at  the  homesteads  and  inns  they  passed  on  their  way. 
These  two  vagrants  were  willing  enough  to  admit 
Gregory  to  their  companionship  for  a  short  time. 


52  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

wisely  refraining  from  asking  him  awkward  questions, 
and  feeling  that  his  respectable  garb  as  an  orthodox 
monk  would  certainly  secure  for  them  better  hospi- 
tality and  consideration  than  they  were  accustomed 
to  enjoy,  owing  to  their  own  disreputable  appearance. 
The  three  travellers,  therefore,  journeyed  on  together 
for  some  considerable  distance  ;  but  on  reaching  a 
certain  inn  on  the  Lithuanian  frontier,  circumstances 
compelled  them  to  part  company.  Here  they  were 
received  very  graciously  by  the  hostess  of  the  inn, 
who  had  great  reverence  and  respect  for  such  "  holy 
hermits,"  as  she  termed  them,  and  who  spread  before 
them  a  gratuitous  meal  with  plenty  of  her  best  wine 
in  which  to  drink  her  health. 

Although  the  two  vagabonds  drank  deeply  and  made 
merry  with  the  good  wine  and  food  secured  for  them 
by  the  respectable  appearance  of  their  travelling 
companion,  Gregory  himself  remained  silent  and 
refused  to  join  in  their  revels,  for  he  was  full  of 
anxiety  and  knew  that  he  would  not  be  safe  from 
pursuit  until  he  entered  Lithuania  and  could  discover 
himself  to  the  leading  Polish  nobles  as  the  long-lost 
and  presumably  murdered  Tsarevich  Dmitri.  He 
therefore  questioned  the  hostess  as  to  the  roads  that 
led  into  Lithuania  and  also  learned  from  her  a  piece 
of  very  disconcerting  news,  namely,  that  during  the 
last  few  days  parties  of  guards  had  appeared  in  the 
neighbourhood  searching  for  a  "  young  heretic  who 
had  escaped  from  a  certain  monastery  near  Moscow 
and  who  was  believed  to  be  attempting  to  cross  over 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  53 

the  border  that  he  might  enter  into  some  conspiracy 
with  the  Poles."  Knowing  well  enough  that  this 
runaway  could  only  be  himself,  he  was  about  to  beat  a 
hasty  retreat  when  a  party  of  the  soldiery  entered  the 
inn  at  that  same  moment  and  roughly  began  to 
question  the  hostess  as  to  the  identity  of  the  three 
guests  whom  she  designated  "  holy  hermits,"  which 
designation  they  were  inclined  to  doubt.  They 
produced  an  edict  which  set  forth  a  full  description  of 
the  "  escaped  heretic  "  whom  they  stated  they  were 
searching  for  ;  and  as  the  guards  themselves  were  too 
ignorant  to  read  what  the  edict  contained,  they  com- 
manded the  "  friars,"  being  men  who  were  supposed 
to  have  some  learning,  to  read  forth  the  written  matter 
upon  the  parchment. 

Gregory  eagerly  took  up  the  document  and  pre- 
tended to  read  out  what  it  contained,  cunningly 
painting  the  portrait  of  a  person  similar  in  appearance 
to  the  rogue  Varlaam.  The  guards  thereupon  seized 
the  terrified  vagabond,  declaring  that  they  had  orders 
to  hang  the  runaway  immediately  when  caught. 
Then  Varlaam,  in  self-defence,  declared  that  he  also 
had  a  fair  knowledge  of  written  characters,  and  upon 
the  document  being  handed  to  him  to  read,  he  spelled 
out  slowly  the  true  description  written  therein,  which 
description  could  not  be  taken  for  anyone  else  but 
Gregory.  Finding,  therefore,  that  he  could  no  longer 
deceive  the  guards,  the  young  monk  drew  a  dagger 
to  defend  himself  and  made  his  escape  through  the 
window.     Although  the  astonished  soldiers  pursued 

£ 


54  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

him  for  some  distance,  he  managed  to  outrun  and 
elude  them,  and  being  now  well  advanced  into  Lithu- 
ania he  had  no  further  fear  of  danger  from  pursuit, 
but  at  once  proceeded  thence  to  Poland  and  set  about 
his  mighty  task  of  establishing  his  false  identity  as 
the  long-hidden  Tsarevich  Dmitri. 

The  Poles  received  the  j^oung  stranger  and  his 
clever  story  with  surprisingly  credulous  cordiality 
and  accepted  him  willingly  enough  as  Pretender  to 
the  throne  of  Russia  under  the  supposed  identity  of 
the  Tsarevich  Dmitri,  and  the  powerful  nobles  of 
Poland  gathered  a  large  army  together  in  support  of 
his  claim  and  were  full  of  eagerness  to  march  with  him 
against  the  usurper  Boris,  whom  they  hated.  Con- 
sequently, the  enterprising  young  monk  soon  found 
himself  a  person  of  the  greatest  importance  and  power, 
and  settled  down  to  the  excitement  of  his  new  and 
dazzling  position  with  the  utmost  ease  and  the  keenest 
enjoyment,  as  though  indeed  born  to  such  great 
honours.  He  was  received  all  over  Poland  with 
astonishing  acclamations ;  and  as  the  months  went 
on  his  strength  and  followers  grew  apace  until  at 
last  he  felt  he  might  relax  his  efforts  for  a  while  and 
take  a  short  spell  of  rest  and  pleasure  before  making 
his  final  raid  into  Russia,  as  success  now  seemed 
certain. 

At  this  time  the  young  Pretender  was  living  quite 
royally  in  the  gay  city  of  Sandomir ;  and  here  he 
succumbed  to  the  counter-attraction  of  love,  which  at 
one  time  threatened  to  turn  him  aside  from  the  path 


The  Pretender's  Queen. 

(Mile  Germanova  as  Marina  .Vnichel'.) 


C  <    C     I  c  « 

«.      c    '     '  »        ^   ' 

<    «     C-C   »    <  1 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  55 

of  ambition.  He  fell  passionately  in  love  with 
Marina  Mnichek,  the  beautiful  and  fascinating 
daughter  of  the  Voyevode  of  Sandomir ;  and  loving 
with  all  the  ardour  of  early  youth  and  an  intensely 
romantic  nature  brought  suddenly  into  contact  with 
that  all-devouring  flame,  he  ceased  for  the  time  being 
to  give  even  a  thought  to  his  mission,  being  content  to 
experience  only  the  lover's  rapture  of  reciprocated 
passion,  and  would  fain  have  dallied  for  ever  in  the 
company  of  the  fair  maiden  who  thus  enthralled  him. 
But  the  beautiful  Marina,  though  she  returned  his 
love  with  equal  passion,  was  also  intensely  ambitious  ; 
and  with  all  the  art  and  persistence  of  a  clever  woman, 
while  returning  her  lover's  caresses,  she  would  not  let 
him  forget  the  brilliant  future  in  store  for  him,  which 
she  meant  to  share.  Marina  herself  had  the  regal 
bearing  and  the  proud  manner  of  a  woman  born  to 
command,  and  in  the  Pretender  Dmitri  she  had 
instantly  recognised  one  who  could  bring  within  her 
grasp  the  power  she  loved  and  coveted  to  wield. 
Already  picturing  herself  reigning  with  him  upon  the 
throne  at  Moscow,  the  beautiful  Marina,  therefore, 
eagerly  listened  to  the  love  declarations  of  the  young 
Dmitri,  but,  while  returning  his  love,  kept  ever  before 
him  his  dazzling  mission. 

In  this  effort  Marina  was  strongly  supported  by  a 
fiercely  fanatical  priest,  Rangoni  by  name,  who 
entreated  her  to  lay  siege  to  the  heart  of  the  young 
Pretender  and  to  use  him  as  the  means  of  establishing 
once   more    the   waning   faith   in    Russia.     At   first 


56  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Marina  proudly  resented  the  idea  of  thus  exploiting 
her  love  for  the  benefit  of  her  country's  religion  ;  but 
upon  the  angry  priest's  stern  threats  should  she  dare 
to  disobey  or  question  the  Church's  command,  she 
was  cowed  and  humbly  agreed  to  use  her  influence 
in  the  way  demanded.  Therefore,  she  encouraged 
Dmitri  to  meet  her  secretly,  that  his  passion  might  be 
the  more  inflamed  ;  and  when  he  spoke  to  her  only  of 
love,  she  reproached  him  for  thus  dallying  and  wasting 
his  time  in  pleasure  when  he  should  be  driving  forth 
the  usurper  Boris  and  be  crowning  his  ambitious 
career  by  seizing  the  throne  of  Russia  and  taking  up 
the  reins  of  power.  When  Dmitri  declared  with  a 
lover's  fondness  that  all  he  now  desired  was  her  love, 
she  would  answer  passionately  :  "  Nay,  I  want  not  the 
embraces  of  a  laggard  !  Seize  the  throne  of  Russia 
and  make  Marina  thy  Queen,  and  then  she  will  love 
thee  !  "  On  hearing  this  Dmitri  would  be  hrurt  that 
his  beautiful  mistress  should  thus  seem  to  care  for 
power  more  than  for  his  love  ;  and  then  Marina  would 
fling  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  declare  that  it  was 
her  great  love  that  made  her  ambitious  for  him,  and 
would  thus  skilfully  lead  him  back  to  the  enterprise 
he  had  embarked  upon. 

While  the  great  rebellion  was  thus  progressing, 
Boris  Godounov  became  more  and  more  a  prey  to 
remorse  and  a  guilty  conscience  ;  and  even  in  the 
presence  of  his  beloved  children  he  could  not  shake  off 
the  memory  of  his  evil  deed,  nor  the  dark  forebodings 
of  coming  disaster.     One  day  he  appeared  suddenly 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  37 

in  the  apartment  of  the  royal  children  and  surprised 
the  young  Tsarevich  Feodor  in  the  midst  of  a  merry 
clapping  game  with  his  old  nurse ;  but  though  he 
smiled  at  the  child's  eager  enjoyment  the  sight  could 
not  drive  away  his  sadness.  He  saw  that  his  beloved 
elder  child,  the  Tsarevna  Xenia,  who  was  present  also 
on  this  occasion,  was  still  grieving  and  weeping  for  the 
untimely  loss  of  her  betrothed  husband  ;  and  after 
dismissing  her  with  a  few  tender  words  of  comfort, 
he  endeavoured  to  forget  his  own  woes  for  a  short  time 
by  encouraging  the  little  Tsarevich  to  talk  with 
him. 

The  artless  prattle  of  his  child,  however,  was 
presently  interrupted  by  the  hurried  entrance  of  his 
chief  adviser,  Prince  Shouisky,  who  came  to  announce 
in  great  agitation  that  he  brought  news  of  a  serious 
rebellion — that  a  Pretender  had  arisen  in  Poland  and 
was  already  marching  into  Russia  at  the  head  of  a 
gigantic  army  ;  adding  in  an  awed  tone  that  it  was 
whispered  among  the  common  people  that  this  bold 
leader  was  none  other  than  the  young  Tsarevich 
Dmitri  come  again.  Turning  pale  as  death,  Boris 
quickly  sent  away  his  little  son,  and  in  agitated  tones 
demanded  further  particulars  from  the  Boyard,  whom 
he  then  dismissed  ;  but  as  Prince  Shouisky  left  the 
apartment  he  glanced  back  and  beheld  a  strange 
sight.  The  conscience-stricken  Tsar  was  crouching 
in  a  comer,  and,  with  outstretched  hands,  appeared  to 
be  trying  to  keep  back  some  unseen  person — the 
spectre  of  his  own  diseased  mind,  the  murdered  child. 


58  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Dmitri,  whom  he  now  called  out  upon  in  agonised 
tones  :  "  Torment  me  not  with  the  sight  of  thy 
wounds  !     Begone  and  leave  me  in  peace  !  " 

The  great  rebellion  now  rapidly  spread  as  a  huge 
forest  fire,  and  when  the  false  Dmitri  entered  Russia  at 
the  head  of  his  great  Polish  army  thousands  flocked  to 
his  standard.  The  oppressed  peasantry  received  the 
Pretender  with  joyous  acclamations,  and,  defying  the 
established  authorities,  indulged  in  many  acts  of  law- 
lessness and  licence.  When  opportunities  occurred 
they  seized  the  partisans  of  Boris  and  ill-treated  them  ; 
nor  did  they  hesitate  to  torment  and  pile  indignities 
upon  any  of  the  Boyards  who  were  unfortunate  enough 
to  fall  into  their  hands,  in  revenge  for  the  latter's 
oppression  of  them  in  the  past.  In  one  village  where 
an  orgy  of  this  kind  occurred,  the  vagabonds  Varlaam 
and  Missail  took  part  in  the  tormenting  of  an  elderly 
Boyard  and  two  Jesuit  priests — which  vile  enter- 
tainment was  suddenly  brought  to  an  end  by  the 
timely  arrival  of  the  Pretender  Dmitri  himself,  who 
sternly  forbade  the  repetition  of  such  excesses  ;  and  as 
his  brilliant  cavalcade  departed  on  its  way,  followed 
by  the  excited  rabble,  the  village  idiot — who  had 
himself  had  to  submit  to  much  teasing  and  rough 
treatment — was  left  lamenting  the  woes  of  his  native 
land. 

As  the  triumphant  army  of  the  Pretender,  conquer- 
ing all  before  it,  drew  nearer  to  Moscow,  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Duma  was  hastily  summoned  ;  and  as 
the  Boyards  gathered  together  with  anxious  faces. 


BORIS  GODOUNOV  59 

waiting  for  the  arrival  of  their  ruler,  whose  counsel 
they  eagerly  desired  in  this  moment  of  peril,  Prince 
Shouisky  entered  hurriedly  in  great  agitation  to  tell 
them  that  the  Tsar  appeared  to  be  in  a  disturbed  state 
of  mind.  He  then  related  to  them  the  story  of  the 
strange  mutterings  and  actions  he  had  observed  when 
last  in  his  presence — the  conduct  of  a  man  with  a 
guilty  conscience.  While  they  thus  conferred  to- 
gether Boris  Godounov  staggered  into  the  council 
chamber  in  disordered  attire,  and,  with  wild  gestures 
and  distracted  mien,  beat  the  air  as  though  to  shut 
out  from  his  sight  some  fearful  vision,  shrieking  aloud 
in  the  tones  of  a  madman  :  "  Begone,  thou  bleeding 
child,  Dmitri  !  Who  dares  to  say  I  murdered  thee  ? 
They  say  thou  art  still  living  !  Why,  then,  dost  thou 
haunt  me  still  ?  " 

AstheBoyards  gazed  upon  their  distraught  monarch, 
in  sorrow  and  amazement  at  this  strange  outburst, 
Boris  gradually  recovered  somewhat  and  spoke  to 
them  in  a  more  rational  manner ;  and  when  Prince 
Shouisky  informed  him  that  an  old  monk  waited 
without  and  desired  to  speak  with  him,  he  commanded 
that  the  stranger  should  enter,  hoping  that  the  good 
old  man  of  God  might  bring  comfort  to  his  tortured 
mind. 

The  stranger  monk  proved  to  be  old  Pimen,  who, 
gazing  fixedly  and  accusingly  upon  the  unhappy  Tsar, 
related  to  him  the  story  of  a  miracle  that  had  just  been 
wrought,  whereby  an  old  blind  shepherd  had  recovered 
his  sight  upon  uttering  a  prayer  at  the  tomb  of  the 


6o  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

murdered  Tsarevich  Dmitri,  whose  childish  voice  he 
beheved  had  spoken  to  him  from  the  grave. 

On  hearing  this  the  conscience-stricken  and  remorse- 
worn  Tsar  fell  back  unconscious ;  and  seeing  that  he  was 
in  a  dying  condition  the  Boyards  gathered  around  him 
and  sent  for  the  young  Tsarevich  Feodor,  at  the  same 
time  calHng  the  priests  to  minister  the  last  rites  to 
him  and  to  cause  the  passing  bell  to  toll. 

The  dying  monarch  recovered  sufficiently  to  bestow 
his  blessing  upon  the  young  prince,  and  to  pray  that  the 
protection  of  heaven  might  rest  upon  him  ;  and  then, 
as  the  chants  of  the  priests  arose,  with  a  last  faint 
prayer  for  his  own  forgiveness,  the  soul  of  the  unhappy 
but  repentant  Boris  Godounov  passed  away. 


MOUSSORGSKT 


KHOVANSTCHINA 

In  the  early  days  of  the  mighty  Tsar,  Peter  the  Great, 
the  Russian  people  suffered  much,  and  misery  and 
strife  were  rampant ;  for  during  the  long  minority 
of  this  afterwards  brilliant  monarch  and  his  brother, 
Ivan,  who  at  that  time  shared  the  throne  as  joint 
Tsars,  many  rebellions  and  changes  of  government 
took  place,  and  the  unhappy  people  were  forced  to 
submit  to  the  misrule  and  tyranny  of  first  one  powerful 
party  or  individual  and  then  another,  each  of  whom 
snatched  power  for  a  certain  time  and  enjoyed  it  to 
the  full,  until  another  and  stronger  hand  snatched  it 
away  again. 

During  the  year  1682  a  great  crisis  was  close  at 
hand.  The  beautiful  city  of  Moscow  was  rife  with 
insurrection  and  the  people  were  torn  in  twain  knowing 
not  whom  to  serve  in  order  to  protect  themselves  ; 
for,  at  this  time,  there  were  two  powerful  leaders, 
whilst  the  Boyards,  or  noblemen,  formed  a  third  party 
— and  dl\  were  strong,  unscrupulous,  and  greatly  to  be 
feared. 

Prince  Galitsin,  the  Prime  Minister,  had  for  many 

years  held  the  chief  power  in  the  land,  ruling  as  the 

representative  of  the  two  youthful  Tsars  and  enjoying 

the  somewhat  doubtful  favour  of  their  Regent  sister, 

ci 


62  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  Tsarevna  Sophia,  who  had  chosen  him  not  only  as 
her  chief  official  but  also  as  her  lover ;  and  he  had 
thought  to  consolidate  his  position  and  the  authority 
bestowed  upon  him  by  his  royal  mistress  by  restricting 
the  powers  of  the  haughty  and  lawless  nobles,  who 
furiously  resented  his  ruthless  curtailment  of  their 
ancient  feudal  privileges  and  means  of  wealth. 

For  several  years  the  Boyards  fretted  and  fumed 
under  the  yoke  of  the  tyrant  Prime  Minister ;  and  then, 
one  of  the  strongest  and  proudest  of  them  all,  Prince 
Ivan  Khovanstky,  who  traced  his  ancestry  back  to  a 
Lithuanian  sovereign,  gathered  a  following  of  his  own 
together  in  opposition  to  the  rule  of  Prince  Galitsin, 
and  proved  a  formidable  rival,  many  of  the  nobles  and 
the  majority  of  the  oppressed  populace — who  dared 
not  do  otherwise — ^joining  his  ranks.  As  Commander 
also  of  the  famous  Streltsy  or  Archer  Guards  he 
engendered  fear  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  opposed  him  ; 
for  he  permitted  his  own  men  unlimited  licence,  so  that 
they  committed  all  kinds  of  excesses  and  cruelties 
in  the  name  of  order  and  were  the  terror  of  the  whole 
community. 

Khovanstky's  handsome  son,  Prince  Andrew,  was 
a  wild  young  libertine,  willing  to  take  part  in  any 
roystering  carousal  or  vicious  orgy  ;  and  the  two 
Khovanstkys  soon  caused  keen  anxiety  to  the  schem- 
ing Prince  Galitsin,  who,  with  ill-concealed  dread,  saw 
them  snatching  at  and  seizing  his  own  already  waning 
powers. 

But  the  sudden  rise  and  wonderful  success  of  the 


KHOVANSTCHINA  63 

Khovanstkys  was  not  attained  without  bringing  upon 
them  the  jealousy  and  hatred  of  most  of  the  other 
great  Boyards  who  now  found  themselves  smarting 
under  the  heels  of  two  tyrants  instead  of  one  ;  and 
many  of  them  retired  to  the  country  Court  of  the 
Tsarevna  and  began  to  plot  there  for  the  overthrow  of 
their  rivals  and  to  ingratiate  themselves  with  the 
youthful  sovereigns  by  reveahng  the  misrule  and 
tyranny  of  both  powerful  parties. 

The  result  was  that,  early  one  morning,  one  of  these 
injured  and  jealous  Boyards,  by  name  Shaklovity, 
entered  Moscow  at  sunrise  and  accosted  a  scrivener  in 
the  famous  Red  Square  near  the  Kremlin.  He  bade 
the  man  write  out  a  letter  for  him,  to  be  addressed  to 
the  two  youthful  Tsars,  and  which  was  to  the  effect 
that  a  plot  was  being  hatched  against  their  rule  and 
welfare  by  the  powerful  Khovanstkys,  who  had 
already  gathered  a  great  following  together  and  were 
endeavouring  to  raise  a  rebellion  by  fostering  discon- 
tent amongst  the  citizens  and  the  troops,  and  even 
stirring  up  the  peasants  in  outlying  districts.  The 
letter  added  that  when  the  plotters  had  thus  safely 
ignited  this  consuming  fire  of  sedition  they  intended  to 
overthrow  the  government  by  the  further  aid  of  a 
certain  religious  sect  known  as  the  Old  Believers,  and 
then  to  depose  the  two  young  monarchs  and  to  set 
Prince  Andrew  Khovanstky  on  the  throne  in  their 
stead. 

Leaving  this  indictment  unsigned  and  refusing  to 
reveal  his  identity  to  the  curious  scrivener,  Shaklovity 


64  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

snatched  the  document  from  the  latter's  hand,  and 
after  paying  him  for  the  work,  conjured  him  never  to 
reveal  the  fact  that  he  had  written  it  or  had  ever  set 
eyes  upon  its  author,  under  the  threat  of  enduring 
terrible  tortures  and  banishment. 

As  the  scrivener  fell  back  a  few  paces,  pale  and 
trembling  at  the  awful  threats  he  had  heard  and  wish- 
ing that  he  had  never  consented  to  write  so  dangerous 
a  document,  Shaklovity  hurried  away  to  seek  a 
messenger  to  deliver  the  letter  that  should  bring 
about  the  downfall  of  the  hated  Khovanstkys  ;  and 
at  that  moment  a  number  of  the  latter's  famous 
Archer  Guards,  the  Streltsy,  hastened  into  the  square 
pell-mell,  followed  by  crowds  of  the  populace  who  were 
the  followers  of  their  leader,  in  honour  of  whose 
approach  they  now  began  to  sing  a  song  of  welcome 
and  praise. 

Almost  immediately  there  followed  Prince  Ivan 
Khovanstky  himself,  who  entered  the  square  with  a 
proud  and  haughty  air,  receiving  the  song  of  welcome 
and  the  fulsome  praises  of  the  people  with  disdainful 
complacency.  When  their  song  of  welcome  was 
ended  he  called  on  them  to  assist  him  in  crushing  the 
tyranny  of  the  Prime  Minister  and  the  lawlessness  of 
those  Boyards  who  had  not  joined  his  own  standard — 
all  of  whom  he  declared  to  be  traitors  to  the  youthful 
Tsars,  whilst  he,  himself,  they  might  regard  as  their 
protector. 

While  the  meek  populace  thus  listened  to  the 
harangues   of   his   father   and   obediently   sang   his 


KHOVANSTCHINA  65 

praises,  young  Prince  Andrew,  in  a  quieter  and  less 
frequented  spot  not  very  far  distant,  was  enacting 
the  tyrant  in  another  way — the  way  of  a  licentious 
bully,  who  sought  to  satisfy  his  selfish  passions  by 
brute  force.  He  held  in  his  arms  a  young  girl,  Emma, 
whom  he  had  discovered  in  the  German  quarter  of  the 
town,  and  whose  beauty  and  freshness  had  inflamed 
him  with  a  sudden  lawless  passion  ;  and  although  the 
unfortunate  girl  protested  in  agonised  tones  and 
struggled  to  escape  from  her  tormentor,  he  only  held 
her  the  closer  and  kissed  her  the  more  fiercely.  Prince 
Andrew  laughed  derisively  at  her  pitiful  requests  to  be 
released,  for  he  had  exercised  great  effort  and  cunning 
in  putting  aside  all  obstacles  to  his  pursuit  of  this 
girl.  He  had  caused  her  father  to  be  slain,  her  true 
lover  he  had  exiled,  and  her  mother's  pleas  for  mercy 
he  had  refused  to  listen  to.  And  now  that  he  held 
the  lovely  maiden  in  his  actual  grasp  he  intended  to 
compel  her  to  yield  to  his  desires.  It  was  in  vain  that 
poor  Emma  declared  she  knew  him  to  be  Khovanstky, 
the  wrecker  of  her  home  and  the  enemy  of  her  lover, 
and  entreated  him  now  to  slay  her,  since  she  preferred 
to  die  rather  than  to  endure  his  embraces.  Her 
protestations,  however,  only  inflamed  the  young  man's 
passion  the  more  ;  and  he,  in  his  turn,  entreated  her 
to  accept  his  love,  while  still  holding  her  firmly  in  his 
grasp. 

Just  as  Emma's  strength  was  beginning  to  fail,  a 
sudden  interruption  occurred.  There  came  past  that 
way   a  young  widow,   named   Martha,   who  was   a 


66  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

prominent  member  of  the  religious  sect  known  as  the 
Rasskolniki,  or  Old  Believers.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago 
this  young  woman  had  herself  been  the  beloved 
mistress  of  Prince  Andrew  Khovanstky,  who,  though 
he  had  once  professed  undying  love  for  her — which  she 
had  passionately  returned — had  carelessly  cast  her 
aside  when  his  infatuation  waned.  Seeing  that  he 
now  held  another  struggling  victim — and  an  unwilling 
one  this  time — in  his  arms,  Martha  accosted  him 
sharply,  reproaching  him  for  his  faithlessness  and 
for  thus  wantonly  seeking  the  ruin  of  the  unhappy 
and  helpless  Emma. 

Stung  and  infuriated  by  the  just  reproaches  of  his 
cast-off  mistress,  Prince  Andrew  loosened  his  hold  upon 
Emma,  who  quickly  shrank  back,  still  half-stunned  by 
terror  ;  and  then  drawing  a  dagger,  he  furiously  flung 
himself  upon  the  young  widow  and  attempted  to 
stab  her.  Martha,  however,  was  ready  for  him,  and 
knowing  well  the  desperate  character  of  the  man  she 
had  to  deal  with,  she,  in  her  turn,  swiftly  drew  a 
dagger  from  the  folds  of  her  own  garments  and  skil- 
fully parried  the  blow. 

As  Prince  Andrew  fell  back,  angry  and  baffled  at 
this  unexpected  set-back  to  his  murderous  onslaught, 
the  obsequious  crowd  of  laudatory  supporters  attached 
to  his  lawless  father's  retinue  drew  near,  followed  by 
that  haughty  noble  himself ;  and  the  young  Prince 
Andrew,  unable  to  escape,  was  compelled  to  await 
the  approach  of  the  party. 

Prince    Ivan    Khovanstky    greeted    his    son    and 


KHOVANSTCHINA  67 

Martha,  recognising  in  the  latter  an  important  member 
of  the  sect  of  Old  Believers,  with  whom  he  was  anxious 
to  ingratiate  himself ;  and  then  observing  the  tremb- 
ling Emma,  and  being  greatly  struck  with  her  fresh 
young  beauty,  he  commanded  one  of  the  archers  to 
seize  the  girl  and  hold  her  in  readiness  for  his  own 
pleasure. 

On  hearing  this,  Prince  Andrew  passionately  remon- 
strated with  his  father,  declaring  that  he  dearly 
loved  Emma  and  that  he  had  secured  her  for  himself ; 
but  seeing  that  Prince  Ivan  was  not  likely  to  yield  to 
his  protestations,  he  resolved  that  Emma  should  not 
be  taken  from  him  alive,  and  was  just  about  to  stab 
the  terrified  maiden  when  Dositheus,  the  revered 
leader  of  the  Old  Believers,  appeared  on  the  scene, 
and,  quickly  grasping  what  was  afoot,  fearlessly  took 
matters  into  his  own  hands.  Calmly  Dositheus  bade 
Martha  lead  Emma  away  to  a  place  of  safety  ;  and 
when  the  two  women  had  departed  he  began  to 
reproach  the  Princes  Khovanstky  for  their  undignified 
conduct  in  quarrelling  at  a  time  when  all  their  energies 
and  thoughts  should  be  given  to  righting  the  wrongs  of 
the  people  and  to  firmly  establishing  the  old  religion 
in  view  of  the  schism  in  their  midst. 

Prince  Ivan,  inwardly  fuming  at  this  interruption, 
but  not  daring  at  the  moment  to  protest,  since  he 
desired  the  assistance  of  the  Old  Believers  in  his  own 
political  schemes,  called  upon  his  archers  and  retired 
with  the  best  dignity  he  could  to  the  Kremlin,  fol- 
lowed by  the  now  downcast  Prince  Andrew,  who,  like 


68  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

all  bullies,  had  but  little  real  courage.  When  the 
brilliant  party  had  departed  the  calm  Dositheus,  who 
was  an  elderly  and  truly  sincere  leader  of  his  flock, 
addressed  the  humble  people  gathered  around,  entreat- 
ing them,  with  the  passion  of  the  fanatic,  to  cling  fast 
by  their  religion  and  to  be  willing  even  to  die  for  its 
sake. 

While  these  scenes  were  taking  place  Prince  Galitsin, 
in  his  splendid  mansion,  was  sitting  alone  in  a  pleasant 
summer  chamber  that  opened  out  into  a  beautiful 
garden  beyond,  where  sweet-smelling  flowers  still 
glowed  brightly  in  the  golden  rays  of  the  setting  sun  ; 
but,  despite  the  fairness  of  the  scene  he  gazed  out  upon, 
the  Prime  Minister's  thoughts  were  dark  and  gloomy. 
He  held  in  his  hand  a  love  letter  he  had  just  received 
from  the  Tsarevna,  which,  however,  brought  neither 
joy  nor  comfort  to  his  heavy  heart.  He  doubted  the 
sincerity  of  its  extravagant  expressions,  and  reasoned 
within  himself,  rightly  enough,  that  with  such  a 
woman,  when  passion  wanes,  coldness  and  disfavour 
quickly  follow — and  then  woe  betide  the  unfortunate 
lover  she  has  tired  of  ! 

As  Galitsin  thus  contemptuously  decided  not  to  be 
deceived  or  lured  into  rashness  by  the  present  warmth 
of  the  epistle  he  held  in  his  hand — little  dreaming,  how- 
ever, that  the  fickle  writer  was  already  showing  favour 
to  his  enemies  and  turning  a  listening  ear  to  their  plots 
for  his  downfall — his  attendant  entered,  ushering  in 
the  Old  Believer,  Martha,  whom  he  described,  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  Prime  Minister,  as  the  "  Sorceress  " 


KHOVANSTCHINA  69 

whom  his  master  had  desired  to  consult,  the  yoimg 
widow  having  a  great  reputation  in  the  city  as  a  seer 
whose  foretelhngs  of  the  future  had  proved  weirdly 
correct  and  whose  thought-reading  powers  were 
regarded  with  awe. 

The  harassed  Minister  had  sought  the  advice  of 
Martha  on  several  occasions,  although  he  regarded  her 
with  considerable  distrust,  knowing  her  to  be  a  strong 
adherent  of  the  Khovanstkys  ;  and  as  she  now  entered 
into  his  presence  with  her  usual  silent  tread,  he  shivered 
slightly  as  he  bade  her  curtly  to  reveal  to  him  his 
future  destiny — for  he  hoped  that  her  prophecy  might 
disprove  his  gloomy  forebodings,  and  he  waited  eagerly 
for  her  to  speak  the  words  of  fate. 

Out  in  the  garden  beyond,  twilight  had  fallen 
quickly  after  sunset  and  a  pale  moonlight  now  gleamed 
faintly  through  the  trees  throwing  long  silvery  shafts 
into  the  richly  furnished  chamber  and  upon  the  tall 
figure  of  Martha,  who,  enveloped  in  a  long  black  cloak, 
stood  at  a  central  table  making  her  incantation.  She 
had  poured  water  into  a  silver  bowl,  and  now,  gazing 
intently  into  its  clear  depths,  she  revealed  to  the 
anxious  Prince  his  destiny  as  she  saw  it  therein — that 
he  was  surrounded  by  false  friends  who  wore  smiling 
faces  and  spoke  fair  words  in  his  presence  but  plotted 
against  him  in  secret  ;  that  an  ignominious  downfall 
awaited  him,  hastened  by  these  same  traitors  ;  that 
he  would  be  dragged  in  the  dust  of  royal  disfavour  and 
lose  all  his  present  honours,  and  that  he  would  end  his 
days  in  wretched  exile,  where  the  sufferings  of  hunger 

F 


70  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

and  hardship  and  the  hopeless  tears  of  woe  should 
teach  him,  the  once  powerful  tyrant,  the  wonderful 
lesson  of  Divine  justice. 

Having  thus  delivered  her  prophecy  Martha  silently 
glided  out  of  the  room,  leaving  Galitsin  with  the  bowed 
head  of  a  despairing  man  whose  worst  fears  have  been 
confirmed.  Then,  as  a  drowning  man  clutches  eagerly 
at  a  straw,  the  Prince  started  up,  and  calling  his  atten- 
dant, commanded  him  to  follow  the  seer  and  have  her 
drowned  in  a  neighbouring  sheet  of  water  known  as 
"  The  Marsh,"  that  she,  at  least,  might  be  silenced  for 
ever  and  carry  no  news  of  him  to  his  enemies. 

Then,  as  he  paced  the  floor  of  the  apartment  in  deep 
agitation,  a  second  interruption  came.  His  arch- 
enemy, Prince  Ivan  Khovanstky,  entered  unan- 
nounced, and,  with  his  most  insolent  and  arrogant  air,, 
demanded  of  the  Minister  why  he  had  presumed  to 
restrict  the  powers  of  the  nobles  and  how  he  dared  to 
interfere  with  the  rights  and  privileges  of  such  a  one 
as  himself,  in  whose  veins  ran  the  blood  of  the  ancient 
kings. 

Galitsin  answered  his  visitor  with  an  equal  haughti- 
ness of  demeanour  and  hot  flow  of  words ;  and  they 
were  only  prevented  from  doing  each  other  violence  by 
the  timely  arrival  of  the  aged  Dositheus,  the  fearless 
Old  Believer,  who  likewise  entered  unannounced 
and  calmly  began  to  reason  with  the  rivals,  remind- 
ing them  that  by  thus  pursuing  their  own  private 
quarrels  they  would  never  bring  peace  or  happiness 
to  their  distressed   country,  and   that    they  should 


KHOVANSTCHINA  71 

rather  stifle  their  own  pride  and  seek  wisdom  from  on 
high. 

The  words  of  the  earnest  Dositheus  were  taken  up  by 
a  number  of  his  disciples  in  the  antechamber,  who 
now  began  to  chant  a  hymn  of  praise  for  the  triumph 
of  good  over  evil  which  might  only  be  attained  by  the 
righteous  doer  and  true  believer. 

Prince  Khovanstky,  who  tolerated  the  Old  Believers 
as  his  likely  followers  and  had,  indeed,  caused  them  to 
come  thither  thus  opportunely,  listened  to  their  song 
with  a  respectful  countenance.  Galitsin,  however, 
was  furious  at  their  intrusion  and  was  about  to  issue 
a  harsh  command  concerning  them,  when  the  young 
widow,  Martha,  rushed  into  the  room  and  clinging  to 
Dositheus,  implored  his  protection,  declaring  that  the 
Minister's  servants  had  attempted  to  drown  her  in 
"The  Marsh,"  and  that  she  had  only  been  saved  by  the 
timely  arrival  of  a  party  of  the  Petrovsky  or  Royal 
Guards,  who  had  seized  her  would-be  assassins,  whom 
they  now  held  in  the  outer  court. 

The  rival  Princes  both  heard  of  the  arrival  of  the 
Royal  Guards  with  feelings  of  alarm,  each  realising  that 
their  presence  boded  ill  to  one  or  other  of  them. 
Next  moment  the  fears  of  Khovanstky  were  con- 
firmed by  the  entrance  of  the  Boyard  Shaklovity,  who 
announced  that  the  Royal  Guards  had  accompanied 
him  as  the  bringer  of  a  message  from  the  Tsarevna, 
who  bade  him  say  that  a  proclamation  had  been 
posted  up  to  the  effect  that  the  Khovanstkys  were 
conspiring  against  the  Empire  and  that  the  young 


72  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Tsar  Peter  had  commanded  an  inquiry  to  be  made 
into  the  matter. 

During  the  confusion  that  followed  this  announce- 
ment Martha  and  Dositheus  escaped  from  the  chamber 
and  returned  to  the  district  where  dwelt  the  Old 
Believers,  whom  they  exhorted  to  further  righteous- 
ness, in  order  to  strengthen  themselves  for  the  ordeal 
of  persecution  that  might  now  fall  upon  them  at  any 
moment ;  and  Khovanstky,  still  haughty  and  brave 
in  his  calm  arrogance,  retired  to  his  mansion,  refusing 
to  resign  his  powers  until  Shaklovity's  accusation 
could  be  proved,  and  proudly  continuing  to  occupy 
his  days  as  before  even  though  his  nights  might  be 
disturbed  by  dark  forebodings. 

After  returning  to  her  home  Martha  became  very 
unhappy  and  depressed  by  the  sense  of  coming  disaster 
to  the  sect  of  the  Old  Believers,  which,  in  her  present 
state  of  mind,  she  felt  was  due  to  her  own  sin  in  having 
loved  and  been  the  mistress  of  the  graceless  Prince 
Andrew.  In  this  belief  she  was  supported  by  a 
fanatical  old  member  of  the  sect,  named  Susanna,  who 
upbraided  her  sternly  for  her  frailty,  refusing  to  listen 
to  her  defence  that  she  had  only  loved  too  well  and 
that  love  could  not  be  evil,  and  painting  for  her  a 
terrible  picture  of  the  everlasting  punishment  that  she 
declared  awaited  her. 

Poor  Martha's  tears,  however,  only  awakened  pity 
in  the  breast  of  old  Dositheus,  who  rebuked  Susanna 
for  her  uncharitableness  and  comforted  the  unhappy 
young  widow  by  telling  her  that  she  could  yet  be  of 


KHOVANSTCHINA  73 

much  service  to  their  cause  by  seeking  news  for  them, 
and  that,  also,  by  the  love  she  still  bore  for  Prince 
Andrew,  she  might  be  the  means  of  bringing  that  young 
libertine  back  into  the  ways  of  grace  and  thus  save  his 
soul  alive — whereby  her  own  sin  might  be  cleansed. 

While  the  comforted  Martha  now  spent  her  days  in 
devoted  service  to  the  cause  she  had  espoused,  Prince 
Ivan  Khovanstky  held  up  his  head  as  proudly  as  of 
yore,  and  continued  to  secure  new  followers  and  to 
encourage  his  old  ones,  in  spite  of  the  repeated  warn- 
ings of  the  Boyard  Shaklovity,  who,  seeing  that  the 
lawless  noble  had  no  intention  of  altering  his  plans  of 
insurrection  or  of  submitting  quietly  to  any  restriction 
of  his  power,  sent  him  messages  full  of  prognostica- 
tions of  coming  misfortune  and  disgrace.  Neither 
was  he  to  be  intimidated  by  the  presence  in  the  city 
of  ever-increasing  numbers  of  the  Petrovsky  or  Royal 
Guards,  and  of  the  "  troopers  "  or  foreign  mercenaries, 
who  were  obviously  being  gathered  there  for  the 
purpose  of  suppressing  insurrection  and  crushing  the 
powers  of  the  tyrant  leaders.  Deliberately  shutting 
his  eyes  to  these  ominous  signs  and  turning  a  deaf 
ear  to  hints  of  personal  danger  to  himself  from  the 
quickly  growing  power  and  influence  of  his  enemies, 
he  still  kept  a  brave  front  and  continued  to  hold  feasts 
and  festivities  in  his  mansion,  as  though  the  tide  in 
his  favour  had  not  changed.  But  at  last  the  storm 
burst,  and  the  proud  Khovanstky  fell  to  rise  no  more. 

One  day  Prince  Ivan  sat  feasting  in  his  splendid 
banqueting-hall,  surrounded  by  his  attendants  and 


74  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

serving-maids  who,  as  he  feasted,  sang  for  his  cheering 
the  Hvely  ditties  of  youth  and  the  laudatory  songs 
beloved  by  their  lord.  Just  as  a  troupe  of  beautiful 
Persian  slaves  had  concluded  a  voluptuous  and  grace- 
ful dance  for  his  further  amusement  the  Boyard 
Shaklovity  entered,  unannounced  as  usual ;  and 
angry  at  this  interruption  to  his  revels,  Khovanstky 
haughtily  demanded  the  intruder's  business. 

Shaklovity  replied  boldly  that  he  brought  yet  a 
further  message  from  the  Tsarevna  to  the  effect  that, 
owing  to  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  she  had 
convened  the  Grand  Council  that  day  and  desired 
Khovanstky's  attendance  at  the  same,  commanding 
that  he  should  set  forth  for  the  conference  at  once 
without  delay. 

Prince  Ivan  immediately  arose  from  his  board  and 
fearlessly  announced  that  he  was  willing  to  attend  the 
conference  and  to  give  the  Tsarevna  the  benefit  of  his 
counsel ;  and  he  called  for  his  magnificent  robes  of 
state  and  caused  himself  to  be  arrayed  in  them  and 
to  be  decorated  with  his  most  splendid  jewels  and 
the  dazzling  insignia  of  a  powerful  noble  of  high 
degree. 

When  he  was  ready  to  leave  the  hall  he  bade  his 
serving-maids  once  more  to  sing  his  praises  as  he  set 
forth  ;  but  little  did  he  dream  that  this  song  of  fulsome 
flattery  now  raised  by  the  obedient  maidens  should 
also  serve  as  his  dirge  !  As  he  was  about  to  pass  over 
the  threshold,  a  dazzling  figure,  supported  on  either 
side  by  his  attendants,  there  came  the  sudden  flash  of 


DOSITHEUS   CALLS    UPON    HIS    FOLLOWERS    TO    DIE    FOR    THEIR    FaITH. 

(Chaliapin  as  Dosithcus.) 


tec 
etc 

<    C       I 


KHOVANSTCHINA  75 

a  dagger — and  the  mighty  Khovanstky  uttered  a  loud 
cry  of  agony  and  fell  to  the  ground,  dead  ! 

The  attendants  and  serving-maids  fied  away  in 
terror,  but  Shaklovity  approached  the  corpse  and 
gcLzed  down  in  mocking  triumph  upon  the  still  form 
of  his  rival  and  victim,  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  his 
plot  had  thus  far  succeeded. 

The  downfall  of  the  Prime  Minister  quickly  fol- 
lowed this  tragedy,  for  the  Tsarevna,  tired  of  the  lover 
whom  she  had  raised  to  power,  listened  only  too 
readily  to  the  accusations  made  against  him  by  her 
jealous  counsellors — and  the  result  was  that  the  once 
powerful  Prince  Galitsin  was  deprived  of  all  his 
dignities  and  was  driven  forth  from  his  beloved 
country  a  disgraced  and  a  despairing  exile.  Thus  was 
the  prophecy  of  the  young  widow  Martha  fulfilled. 

After  the  death  of  their  chief  the  followers  of 
Khovanstky  were  quickly  dispersed,  though  the  famous 
Streltsy  were  won  over  to  the  royal  side  ;  and  Prince 
Andrew  was  forced  to  keep  in  hiding  as  his  life  was  in 
constant  jeopardy. 

The  Old  Believers,  learning  that  instructions  had 
been  given  to  the  fierce  troopers  to  slay  every  member 
of  their  sect,  retired  to  a  hermitage  in  a  wood  near 
Moscow,  there  to  await  their  end — but  not  at  the  hands 
of  the  soldiery.  Old  Dositheus,  seeing  that  they 
could  not  now  escape  death,  bid  them  build  up  and 
fire  a  huge  pyre  of  wood,  upon  which  they  could 
mount  and  perish  as  did  the  martyrs  of  old  for  the 
faith  they  held. 


76  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Whilst  these  sinister  preparations  were  afoot, 
Martha  had  sought  for  and  found  Prince  Andrew  who, 
craven-hearted  now  that  death  threatened  him  on 
every  side,  entreated  the  mistress  he  had  tired  of  and 
flouted  in  the  days  of  his  own  prosperity  to  save  him 
now  from  his  enemies  ;  and  he  fled  gladly  with  her  to 
the  hermitage,  where  he  quickly  changed  his  tone  and 
angrily  demanded  of  her  news  of  the  fair  maid,  Emma, 
whom  he  still  loved  and  had  vainly  sought  for  many 
days  past.  Martha,  however,  told  him  that  Emma  was 
safe  from  his  pursuit  and  would  shortly  be  united  to 
her  own  faithful  lover  who  had  now  returned  from  his 
unjust  exile  ;  and  bidding  the  distracted  young  man 
think  no  more  of  this  girl  nor  of  earthly  matters  at  all, 
but  rather  to  bend  his  thoughts  upon  heaven,  since 
his  death  was  nigh,  she  succeeded  in  persuading  him, 
by  the  power  of  her  own  love,  which  had  never  waned, 
to  mount  the  now  burning  pyre  with  her. 

When,  therefore,  the  troopers  arrived  at  the  her- 
mitage, thirsting  for  the  blood  of  their  expected 
victims,  they  were  greeted  with  a  great  blaze  of  light ; 
and  as  the  flames  sprang  up  around  them  the  Old 
Believers  went  cheerfully  to  death,  singing  a  song  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving,  inasmuch  as  they  were 
accounted  worthy  to  suffer  death  for  their  faith. 


RACHMANINOV 


ALEKO 

In  a  certain  peaceful  spot  on  the  banks  of  a  river 
which  flowed  through  vast  country  wilds  a  tribe  of 
gipsies  had  pitched  their  tents  ;  and  here,  late  one 
evening,  the  careless  wanderers  gathered  about  their 
blazing  camp-fires,  or  stood  in  groups  outside  the 
tents,  chatting  and  singing  snatches  of  merry  songs 
as  they  waited  to  refresh  themselves  with  the  savoury 
supper  which  already  steamed  and  bubbled  in  the 
huge  cauldrons  hanging  from  tripods  over  the  fires. 

They  were  a  simple,  happy  folk,  these  wanderers, 
who  lived  and  loved  and  died  amidst  the  beauties  of 
nature,  knowing  not  the  many  evils  and  doubtful 
joys  of  civilisation,  who  loved  freedom  above  all 
things,  and  whose  code  of  honour,  while  forbidding 
them  to  judge  any  man,  would  not  permit  them  to 
dwell  with  a  wrongdoer  in  their  midst. 

This  evening  as  the  rising  moon,  silvery  bright, 
appeared  above  the  glittering  stream,  a  strange  feeling 
of  uneasiness  had  crept  over  the  gipsies  ;  and  in  order 
to  distract  their  minds  and  to  make  the  time  pass  by 
more  quickly  while  their  supper  was  in  process  of 
preparation  the  young  men  and  girls  called  upon  the 
Chief  to  tell  them  a  story. 

The  leader  of  the  gipsies  was  a  venerable  and  digni- 

77 


78  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

lied  old  man,  whose  sad  yet  glowing  eyes  and  deeply- 
lined  face  revealed  the  secret  of  passion's  fiery  touch 
and  sorrow's  bitter  sting  ;  and  a  host  of  unhappy 
recollections  having  intruded  themselves  upon  his 
broodings  this  evening,  he  gathered  the  young  people 
about  him  and  told  them  the  story  of  his  own  early 
love  and  of  the  grievous  wrong  that  had  been  done 
him  by  a  stranger  not  of  his  own  tribe. 

"  Years  ago,"  he  said,  "  I  loved  and  wedded  the 
most  beautiful  maiden  of  our  tribe,  and  for  one  short 
year  I  enjoyed  the  divine  rapture  that  only  those  who 
truly  love  can  know.  Had  a  fabulous  fortune  or  even 
a  kingdom  been  offered  to  me  in  exchange  I  would  have 
laughed  such  a  gift  to  scorn  ;  for  the  love  of  my  fair 
Marioula  was  more  precious  to  me  than  all  the  wealth 
and  honours  that  the  world  could  lay  at  my  feet. 
When  our  child,  the  maiden  Zemfira  yonder,  was 
born,  I  felt  that  my  joy  was  almost  too  great  to  bear, 
and  alas  !  I  soon  found  that  it  was  certainly  too  great 
to  last  ! 

"  Marioula,  free,  loving  child  of  the  desert  as  she 
was,  proved  herself  to  be  as  fickle  as  she  was  fair  ! 
Another  tribe  of  wanderers  pitched  their  camp  beside 
ours  just  after  my  joy  had  lasted  for  a  year  ;  and 
though  they  rested  in  our  neighbourhood  but  two  days, 
when  they  struck  their  tents  my  beautiful  but  false 
Marioula  went  with  them — ^her  love  having  been 
stolen  from  me  by  one  of  their  hot-blooded  youths,  for 
whom  she  forsook  me,  her  adoring  husband,  and  her 
helpless  babe  !     Ah  me  !    The  woe  of  that  cruel  hour 


ALEKO  79 

struck  deep  into  my  heart  and  the  pain  of  the  still 
bleeding  wound  will  never  depart  whilst  breath 
remains  in  me  !  " 

While  the  old  Chief  thus  related  the  story  of  his  life's 
tragedy,  his  lovely  daughter — the  same  Zemfira  whose 
fickle  mother  had  deserted  her  in  infancy — shivered 
slightly  as  she  glanced  furtively  from  her  husband, 
Aleko,  to  the  handsome  young  gipsy  who  was  now  her 
secret  lover.  By  a  strange  fatality  the  faithlessness 
of  the  Chief's  wife  was  actually  at  that  moment  being 
repeated  in  her  daughter  who,  whilst  inheriting  the 
mother's  alluring  beauty,  also  showed  an  equally 
capricious  and  fickle  temperament,  chafing  at  restraint, 
fitful  as  the  wind,  and  claiming  love  from  all  for  the 
satisfaction  of  her  passionate  nature. 

A  year  ago  Aleko,  her  husband,  had  come  as  a 
stranger  to  the  tribe  and,  declaring  himself  weary  of 
the  trials  and  disappointments  of  ordinary  civilised 
life,  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  remain  for  a  time  with 
the  gipsies,  who  received  him  with  the  courtesy  and 
hospitality  of  their  kind. 

Aleko,  a  disappointed  and  somewhat  melancholy 
man,  past  his  first  youth,  soon  recovered  tranquillity 
and  peace  of  mind  among  the  simple-hearted  wan- 
derers ;  and,  on  becoming  acquainted  with  the  Chief's 
beautiful  daughter,  he  had  fallen  passionately  in  love 
with  her,  loving  with  all  the  intensity  of  a  man  who 
had  never  before  felt  the  magic  thrill  of  a  woman's 
attraction. 

The  ardent  young  Zemfira  on  her  part  was  equally 


8o  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

attracted  by  the  stranger,  about  whom  hung  an  air  of 
mystery  and  romance  ;  and  upon  her  accepting  his 
love  and  surrendering  her  own  in  return,  the  pair  were 
wedded  in  accordance  with  the  quaint  gipsy  rites  and 
customs. 

In  one  short  year,  however,  the  fickle  Zemfira  tired 
of  the  stranger  husband  who  adored  her  and  began  to 
accept  the  attentions  of  a  young  gipsy  of  her  own 
tribe,  whose  passionate  love-making  she  eagerly  re- 
sponded to  and  whom  she  met  in  secret  whenever  the 
opportunity  occurred. 

This  evening  as  the  Chief's  tragic  story  came  to  an 
end  and  his  hearers  trooped  off  to  partake  of  the 
savoury  supper  now  ready,  Zemfira  and  her  lover 
snatched  a  few  moments'  conversation  and  arranged 
to  steal  away  together  from  the  camp  that  night  after 
the  moon  had  set  and  all  was  dark. 

The  young  gipsy  scornfully  laughed  away  Zemfira's 
timid  expressions  of  fear  lest  Aleko  should  discover 
their  secret  plans  and  her  declarations  that  he  was 
already  suspicious  because  of  her  coldness  and  in- 
difference to  him.  She  added  that  he  might  prove 
dangerous  in  his  jealousy,  which  he  had  plainly 
exhibited  in  a  sudden  outburst  of  anger  on  hearing  the 
old  Chief's  story — the  circumstances  of  the  latter 
having  evidently  caused  him  to  doubt  still  more  the 
constancy  of  his  own  fair  wife.  Her  lover,  however, 
succeeded  in  reassuring  her ;  and  after  many  tender 
embraces  the  pair  parted,  as  Aleko  was  observed  to 
be  lurking  near. 


ALEKO  -  -8x 

Zemfira  retired  at  once  to  her  tent,  where  she  sat 
beside  the  cradle  of  her  infant  child  and  began  to  sing 
a  cradle-song  which,  however,  instead  of  being  a  gentle 
lullaby  soon  developed  into  a  wild  gipsy  song,  in  which 
she  railed  recklessly  at  her  husband  and  hinted  auda- 
ciously at  a  secret  lover  whose  embraces  she  meant  to 
accept. 

Aleko,  upon  entering  the  tent  at  this  moment,  was 
shocked  and  angered  on  hearing  the  song,  which 
strengthened  his  suspicions  of  her  change  towards 
himself ;  and  he  sternly  rebuked  the  wild  Zemfira  who, 
however,  paid  no  heed  to  him,  but  hurried  from  the 
tent  still  recklessly  singing  her  tantalising  song  of 
defiance. 

Aleko,  now  sadly  realising  that  the  love  of  his 
beautiful  gipsy  wife  was  indeed  lost  to  him  for  ever, 
at  first  gave  himself  up  to  despair  and  grief.  Then 
a  fierce,  unrestrained  anger  seized  him,  and,  vowing 
that  none  other  should  enjoy  the  favours  of  his  beloved 
one,  even  though  these  were  denied  to  himself,  he 
hastened  after  the  now  flying  form  of  Zemfira  who  had 
vanished  in  the  darkness. 

Meanwhile,  the  lovers  had  met  at  the  appointed 
spot  and  Zemfira,  full  of  fear  for  the  anger  of  her 
jealous  husband,  was  eagerly  urging  the  young  gipsy 
to  hasten  their  departure,  which  the  latter  continually 
delayed  in  order  to  enjoy  the  intense  joy  of  the 
moment,  when  Aleko  himself  suddenly  appeared  before 
them,  upbraiding  the  pair  for  their  perfidy  and  threat- 
ening the  young  gipsy  in  furious  accents. 


82  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Zemfira  bravely  met  the  wrath  of  the  husband  whom 
she  had  wronged,  declaring  that  true  love  was  free  and 
not  to  be  restrained  and  adding  that  she  was  willing  to 
die  rather  than  to  return  to  one  who  no  longer  held  her 
heart.  Almost  in  the  same  breath,  however,  she 
entreated  her  lover,  in  terrified  accents,  to  fly  from  the 
vengeance  she  could  read  in  her  husband's  flashing 
eyes ;  but,  ere  he  could  escape,  Aleko,  in  a  frenzy  of 
jealous  passion,  sprang  upon  the  young  gipsy  and 
stabbed  him  to  the  heart. 

Zemfira,  with  a  cry  of  despairing  grief,  flung  herself, 
weeping,  upon  the  dead  body  of  her  lover,  uttering 
wild  curses  upon  his  murderer ;  and  Aleko,  still 
further  infuriated,  drew  forth  the  dagger  again  and 
plunged  it  into  the  breast  of  the  unhappy  girl. 

By  this  time  the  whole  camp  had  been  aroused  by 
the  noise  of  the  quarrel  and  the  cries  of  the  lovers  as 
they  fell ;  and  the  old  Chief  and  his  scared  companions 
now  appeared  upon  the  scene  as  the  beautiful  Zemfira 
expired. 

The  passion- tossed  Aleko,  soon  filled  with  remorse 
and  despair,  knelt  over  the  corpse  of  his  beloved 
Zemfira  imploring  forgiveness  ;  and  then,  standing 
bravely  before  the  bereaved  and  grief-stricken  father, 
he  awaited  sentence,  humbly  expressing  his  readiness 
to  expiate  his  crime  by  death. 

But  the  old  Chief,  with  calm  and  beautiful  dignity, 
merely  rebuked  him  sternly  for  thus  bringing  bloodshed 
and  strife  into  the  peaceful  gipsy  life  ;  then,  declaring 
that  while  he  and  his  simple  tribe  judged  not  and 


ALEKO  83 

took  no  man's  life  in  expiation,  they  could  not  permit 
a  murderer  to  abide  in  their  camp,  he  commanded  the 
young  men  to  carry  away  the  bodies  of  the  dead  lovers 
and  returned  to  his  tent,  followed  quietly  and  sadly  by 
the  rest  of  his  people. 

Thus  was  the  wretched  Aleko  left  alone  without 
love  or  companionship,  to  wander  forth  into  the 
world,  an  exile,  who  must  expiate  his  sin  and  bear  his 
grief  as  best  he  might. 


RACHMANINOV 


FRANCESCA   DA   RIMINI 

Within  the  First  Circle  of  the  Inferno  gigantic  black 
rocks  led  down  into  the  terrible  abyss  below.  Gloomy 
darkness  reigned  for  the  most  part,  but  every  now  and 
again  the  sombre  blackness  was  suddenly  illuminated 
brilliantly  by  red  gleams  from  the  everlasting  flames 
and  steel-blue  lightning  from  the  lurid  clouds  that  were 
rushing  through  the  storm-riven  sky. 

When  the  subterranean  rumblings  and  the  ominous 
rolling  of  the  thunder  ceased  for  a  few  brief  moments, 
heart-rending  cries  and  the  hopeless  sighs  of  souls  in 
torment  could  be  heard ;  and  these  again  would 
quickly  be  drowned  by  the  awful  crashing  of  fresh 
peals  of  thunder  and  the  roar  of  the  returning  whirl- 
winds. 

Into  this  awe-inspiring  scene,  breathing  the  sultry 
atmosphere  with  difficulty,  appeared  the  great 
Italian  poet,  Dante,  according  to  the  wonderful 
vision  he  afterwards  pictured  so  exquisitely  in  his 
masterpiece,  the  "  Divine  Comedy,"  which  tells  of  the 
imaginary  experiences  of  a  soul  after  death  in  the 
three  stages  he  believed  it  to  pass  through,  and  de- 
scribed as  the  "  Inferno/'  the  "  Purgatorio  "  and  the 
"  Paradiso." 

As  Dante  appeared  on  the  fearful  rocky  heights  of 

84 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  85 

the  First  Circle  of  the  Inferno,  he  was  accompanied  by 
the  Shade  of  the  Roman  poet,  Virgil,  who  was  to  be 
his  guide  through  the  wonderful  and  mysterious  paths 
and  by-ways  of  these  subterranean  regions.  As  the 
two  travellers  drew  near  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice, 
the  spectral  guide  suddenly  drew  back  and  shuddered, 
as  though  with  fear ;  and  then,  turning  to  Dante,  he 
announced  that  they  were  about  to  descend  into  the 
yawning  abyss  and  that  he  must  be  of  a  good  courage 
and  follow  closely. 

Dante  replied  that  it  was  not  encouraging  to  follow 
one  who  appeared  obviously  to  be  afraid  of  what  was 
before  him  ;  but  the  Shade  of  Virgil  told  him  that 
though  he  shuddered  and  drew  back  for  a  moment  on 
approaching  the  precipice,  he  did  so  voluntarily  and 
that  his  action  was  not  one  of  fear,  but  rather  of 
compassion  for  those  unhappy  souls  who  were  suffer- 
ing torments  below.  He  then  called  upon  Dante  to 
hasten  ere  their  courage  should  in  truth  desert  them  ; 
and,  without  further  pause,  the  pair  began  their 
awful  descent  into  the  abyss  and  were  soon  lost  in  the 
darkness  below. 

Dense  black  clouds  gathered  around  and  enwrapped 
them  as  in  a  stifling  mantle  and  at  first  nothing  could 
be  distinguished  through  the  thick  atmosphere  ;  but 
after  the  travellers  had  descended  for  a  considerable 
distance  the  air  cleared  somewhat,  and,  though  an 
intense  gloom  reigned  supreme,  objects  and  land- 
marks could  be  observed  once  more. 

Dante  now  saw  that  he  stood  with  his  companion 

G 


86  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

on  the  summit  of  a  high  rock  which  ran  down  sheer 
into  the  abyss.  On  every  side  overhanging  rocks 
were  to  be  seen,  while  the  angry  crimson  horizon 
stretched  far  away  in  the  distance  Hke  a  streak  of 
blood,  from  whence  came  the  warning  sound  of  a 
quickly  approaching  storm,  still  mingled  with  the  cries 
and  moans  of  the  souls  in  torment  which  never  ceased. 

As  Dante  discovered  himself  upon  the  summit  of 
the  rock  his  spectre  guide  informed  him  that  they  had 
now  arrived  at  the  place  where  eternal  darkness 
reigned  in  company  with  an  eternal  and  terrible 
tempest  which  drew  in  its  wake  the  spirits  suffering 
in  anguish  and  continually  gathered  in  its  tumult 
souls  from  everywhere  with  no  hope  of  release  from 
their  endless  sufferings. 

"  Who,  then,  are  these  unhappy  souls  ?  "  asked 
Dante  in  compassionate  tones  ;  and  the  Shade  of 
Virgil  replied  : 

"  These  are  the  tortured  spirits  of  those  who,  in 
earthly  life,  permitted  the  passions  of  love  and  desire 
to  reign  uncontrolled,  so  that  they  dominated  over 
reason  and  ruined  their  lives  !  Behold  !  Here  they 
come  !  " 

Just  then  the  noise  of  the  approaching  whirlwind 
drew  nearer  and,  next  moment,  the  tempest  burst 
upon  them  in  all  its  fury,  so  that  the  voices  of  the 
travellers  could  no  longer  be  heard.  In  the  wake  of 
the  storm  came  crowds  of  phantoms  rushing  past  them 
with  the  loud  sighs  and  lamentations  only  uttered  by 
those  in  anguish. 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  87 

Dante  was  horrified  at  this  fearful  spectacle  and  drew 
back,  aghast ;  but  the  Shade  of  Virgil  was  bolder  and 
called  to  several  of  the  phantoms  by  the  names  they 
had  borne  in  their  earthly  life. 

After  awhile  the  storm  grew  somewhat  less  violent, 
there  was  a  sHght  lull,  and  the  ranks  of  the  suffering 
spirits  became  thinner  ;  and  presently  there  appeared 
the  phantoms  of  Paolo  and  Francesca,  the  devoted 
lovers  of  Rimini,  whose  interlocked  arms  and  appear- 
ance of  loving  one  another  still  even  in  their  agony 
strangely  attracted  Dante,  so  that  he  inquired  of  his 
companion  their  names,  expressing  a  wish  to  speak 
with  them. 

In  reply  to  his  request  Virgil  said  :  "  In  the  name  of 
the  love  which  has  drawn  them  to  this  suffering, 
ask  them,  and  they  will  speak  to  you  !  " 

As  the  spirit  lovers  came  floating  by,  united  still 
even  in  the  midst  of  their  torment,  Dante  approached 
them,  therefore,  and  called  out  to  them  compassion- 
ately : 

"  Unhappy  spirits,  your  sufferings  make  me  weep  ! 
I  prithee,  if  it  is  possible,  draw  nigh  unto  us,  and 
while  there  is  a  lull  in  this  terrible  tempest,  tell  us 
where  you  hail  from  and  how  you  came  to  fall 
thus !  " 

As  if  in  answer  to  the  poet's  plea,  the  lover  phan- 
toms drew  nearer  ;  and  at  the  same  moment  the  dense 
clouds  descended  once  more  and  darkness  reigned. 
But,  out  of  the  darkness,  the  voices  of  Paolo  and 
Francesca  were  heard  saying  :    "  There  is  no  greater 


88  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

suffering  in  the  world  than  the  remembrance  of  happy 
days  when  happiness  has  fled  !  " 

Then  they  related  the  story  of  their  tragic  passion 
to  the  sympathetic  poet,  knowing  that  he  who  had 
also  known  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  a  beautiful  love 
would  have  mercy  and  compassion  upon  their  trials, 
temptations  and  sufferings. 


THE  LOVE  OF  PAOLO  AND  FRANCESCA 

Within  his  splendid  palace  at  Rimini  the  powerful 
and  successful  Commander,  Malatesta,  was  engaged  in 
discussing  with  a  famous  militant  Cardinal  his  plans 
for  the  defeat  of  the  Ghibellines,  the  great  enemies  of 
the  Pope.  For  a  long  time  past  these  powerful  foes 
had  threatened  to  secure  the  upper  hand,  but  now  a 
plan  of  campaign  had  been  formed  for  their  defeat. 
When  this  new  scheme  had  been  discussed  and 
approved,  the  mighty  leader,  Malatesta,  entreated 
the  Cardinal  to  bless  him,  his  sword  and  his  troops. 
Willingly  and  with  confidence  the  Cardinal  pro- 
nounced his  solemn  benediction  upon  the  enterprise, 
and  then  he  departed,  with  his  attendants,  in  pomp 
and  dignity. 

After  the  departure  of  the  prelate,  Malatesta 
addressed  his  own  attendants  and  generals,  desiring 
them  to  bid  farewell  to  their  wives  and  friends,  and  to 
go  forth  and  make  their  preparations  for  immediate 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  89 

departure  to  the  seat  of  war.     He  then  dispatched  a 
servant  to  bring  into  his  presence  his  wife,  Francesca. 
As  he  now  waited  in  the  chamber  alone  a  dark 
frown    overspread    the    stern    countenance    of    the 
Commander-in-Chief.    He  was  a  prey  to  that  torturing 
malady,  jealousy,  having  reason  to  fear  that  his  fair 
wife  did  not  return  his  love,  but  that,  although  her 
hand  was  his,  she  had  bestowed  her  heart  elsewhere. 
So  strong  a  hold  had  this  tormenting  suspicion  taken 
upon  him  that  even  the  sound  of  the  trumpets'  fan- 
fare C£illing  the  soldiers  and  strong  young  men  together 
to  go  forth  to  fight  the  enemies  at  their  gates — a  sound 
which  had  formerly  been  wont  to  thrill  him  and  to 
fill  his  heart  with  rejoicing — had  now  no  power  to 
stir  him  even  slightly,  for  his  jealous  thoughts  would 
give  him  no  peace. 

Yet  he  had  only  himself  to  blame,  having  done  his 
wooing  by  proxy.  Having  beheld  the  beautiful 
Francesca  he  had  immediately  desired  to  wed  with 
her,  but,  being  occupied  with  military  affairs  and  also 
unaccustomed  to  social  dalliance,  he  had  sent  his 
young  brother,  Paolo,  as  the  bearer  of  his  proposals  to 
the  maiden's  father  asking  her  hand  in  marriage. 

The  proposals  were  willingly  accepted;  but,  whether 
carelessly  or  for  some  reason  known  only  to  himself, 
Francesca's  father  permitted  her  to  believe  that  it  was 
Paolo  himself  who  was  the  suitor  for  her  hand. 
Possibly  he  may  have  thought  that  the  maiden  would 
be  afraid  of  the  black-browed  Malatesta  and  that  he 
might  have  trouble  in  forcing  her  consent  to  a  marriage 


90  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

with  one  so  much  older  than  herself,  and  one,  withal,  of 
so  serious  and  gloomy  a  disposition  ;  or,  perhaps, 
on  seeing  that  she  was  instantly  attracted  by  the 
grace  and  charm  of  the  young  Paolo  and  that  she 
seemed  naturally  to  regard  him  as  her  suitor,  he  pre- 
ferred to  leave  her  thus  unenlightened  in  order  to 
secure  her  willing  agreement  with  the  proposals 
brought. 

However  the  deception  may  have  arisen,  Francesca 
and  Paolo  had  no  sooner  looked  into  one  another's 
eyes  than  a  deep  and  abiding  love  sprang  up  in  their 
hearts  ;  and  the  fair  maiden,  imagining  that  it  was 
Malatesta  who  stood  before  her,  placed  her  hand  in 
that  of  the  latter's  ambassador,  declaring  that  she 
willingly  gave  it  to  him,  that  her  heart  was  his  also 
and  that  she  would  love  him  for  ever. 

When  the  nuptial  day  arrived,  however,  and  she 
realised  the  awful  mistake  she  had  made,  or  had  been 
permitted  to  make,  and  that  it  was  the  grim  warrior 
who  was  to  be  her  husband  and  not  the  handsome 
young  Paolo,  she  was  overcome  with  grief  and  the 
sunshine  of  joy  left  her  heart  for  ever.  Although  she 
was  compelled  to  give  her  hand  to  Malatesta  and  went 
through  the  marriage  ceremon}^  as  one  in  a  dream,  she 
could  not  also  give  him  her  heart,  having  already 
bestowed  her  love  upon  another.  She  became  a  duti- 
ful and  obedient  wife,  but  her  lack  of  warmth  to  him 
was  a  constant  source  of  disappointment  to  her  gloomy 
husband,  whose  own  passion  was  the  more  strongly 
kindled  by  reason  of  her  coldness. 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  91 

All  this  passed  through  the  mind  of  Malatesta  as 
he  now  sat  in  his  audience  chamber  waiting  for  his 
wife  to  come  and  bid  him  farewell  before  his  departure 
to  the  war,  and  he  wondered  if,  had  she  never  seen 
Paolo,  Francesca  would  have  loved  him,  Malatesta. 
Accustomed  to  compel  attention  and  to  carry  all 
before  him,  Malatesta  was  inclined  to  think  that  the 
latter  would  have  been  the  case,  and  a  jealous  anger 
grew  up  in  his  heart  against  his  young  brother.  He 
decided  that  he  must  get  rid  of  the  latter  by  some 
means  or  other ;  and  so  strong  a  hold  did  this  dark 
thought  take  of  him  that  he  even  went  so  far  as  to 
invoke  the  aid  of  infernal  agencies  in  his  evil  scheme. 

He  was  interrupted,  however,  by  the  entrance  of 
Francesca,  who  came  and  stood  before  him  sub- 
missively with  folded  hands  and  listened  quietly  and 
without  any  emotion  as  he  informed  her  of  his  depar- 
ture that  night  to  fight  the  Pope's  enemies,  and  added 
that,  therefore,  he  must  leave  her  for  a  time.  Fran- 
cesca asked  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  enter  a 
convent  during  his  absence,  but  her  husband  refused 
her  request  curtly,  saying  that  he  had  appointed  his 
brother  Paolo  to  act  as  her  guardian  during  the  wars. 
He  gazed  searchingly  at  her  as  he  made  this  announce- 
ment, but  Francesca  had  her  feelings  well  under 
control  and  replied  quietly  that  she  would  obey  him. 

Her  calmness  and  apparent  resignation  served  only 
to  exasperate  Malatesta.  He  asked  her  roughly  and 
fiercely  if  she  ever  intended  to  love  him  or,  at  least,  to 
treat  him  with  some  degree  of  the  warmth  expected  by 


92  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

a  husband  of  his  wife,  and  he  bade  her  look  upon  the 
havoc  she  had  wrought  in  him — the  wreck  of  his 
former  self,  owing  to  his  unrequited  love  for  her. 

To  this  outburst  Francesca  replied  very  gently  : 
"  Forgive  me,  my  lord,  but  I  cannot  lie  by  saying  that 
I  love  you  when  I  do  not  !  " 

She  then  asked  him  when  he  would  return  ;  and  he 
replied  ominously  :  "  When  the  Pope's  foes  are  beaten 
and  when  I  have  slain  all  my  enemies  !  " 

Though  still  raging  with  jealousy  and  unsatisfied 
passion  Malatesta  then  hastily  dismissed  Francesca ; 
and  after  giving  instructions  to  his  brother  to  act  as 
the  guardian  of  his  wife,  goods,  and  chattels  during  his 
absence,  he  departed  for  the  wars  at  the  head  of  his 
troops. 

After  the  departure  of  Malatesta  a  period  of  great 
happiness  dawned  for  Francesca  and  Paolo,  for, 
owing  to  the  latter's  trust  as  guardian  of  his  brother's 
wife  and  property,  they  were  now  able  to  meet  fre- 
quently and  to  pass  many  joyful  hours  together.  At 
first  they  tried  to  meet  as  ordinary  friends,  endeavour- 
ing earnestly  to  avoid  the  tender  intercourse  of 
lovers,  but,  after  awhile,  they  found  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  resist  the  imperative  call  of  youth  and  the 
passionate  love  that  consumed  them  both. 

The  constant  fear  of  her  stern  lord's  wrath  and  her 
own  sincere  desire  to  fight  the  temptation  of  disloyalty 
to  him  caused  Francesca  to  struggle  valiantly  against 
the  eager  pleading  and  passion  in  the  eyes  of  Paolo, 
whom  she  forbade  to  speak  to  her  of  love;  but  though 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  93 

she  succeeded  for  a  time  in  crushing  down  the  smoul- 
dering fire  she  could  not  extinguish  it  nor  prevent  it 
from  bursting  forth  eventually  into  unquenchable 
flames.  For  these  two  young  people,  so  fresh  and  so 
fair,  seemed  to  have  been  created  for  one  another,  and 
their  rapture  was  so  beautiful  a  thing  that  it  seemed  as 
natural  for  them  to  love  as  for  the  flowers  to  bloom  and 
the  sun  to  shine.  Cruel,  indeed,  was  the  fate  which 
ordained  that  so  perfect  a  love  should  be  unlawful ; 
still  more  cruel  the  temptations  placed  in  their  path ; 
and  most  cruel  of  all  the  vengeance  and  punishment 
meted  out  to  them  for  following  the  dictates  of  their 
young  hearts. 

When  Francesca  found  that  Paolo  could  no  longer 
refrain  from  speaking  of  love  in  her  presence,  she 
brought  forth  a  book  and  made  him  read  to  her 
instead ;  and,  for  a  short  time,  she  gained  a  further 
respite.  But  the  book  she  happened  to  produce  told 
of  the  immortal  passion  of  those  fairest  of  lovers, 
Lancelot  and  Guinevere,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
these  readings  added  fuel  to  the  fire  she  thus  sought  to 
quench,  for  the  enthralling  story  of  those  royal  lovers 
of  olden  times  was  a  perfect  picture  of  their  own  love. 

Thus  the  weeks  and  months  went  by,  swiftly  and 
enchantingly,  like  a  beautiful  dream.  Paolo  and 
Francesca  were  so  happy  that  they  almost  forgot  that 
Malatesta  was  at  the  wars  and  would  one  day  return  to 
claim  his  own  and  that  gloomy  darkness  would  follow 
the  golden  sunshine  they  now  rejoiced  in. 

The  end  csune  with  tragic  swiftness. 


94  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

First  came  the  day  when  Francesca  could  no  longer 
keep  Paolo  from  declaring  his  overwhelming  love  for 
her  and  entreating  for  hers  in  return.  According  to 
their  usual  custom  she  sat  at  her  tapestry  frame 
plying  her  needle  while  Paolo  lay  at  her  feet  and  read 
aloud  to  her  from  the  beautiful  story  they  both  loved 
so  well.  After  reading  of  the  many  wonderful  ex- 
ploits performed  by  the  chivalrous  knight,  Lancelot, 
in  honour  of  his  fair  lady,  Paolo  asked  Francesca  if 
she  believed  that  the  Queen  would  receive  the  hero 
in  answer  to  his  plea. 

Francesca  replied  :  "  Surely  !  She  would  be  cruel 
if  she  refused  to  do  so  !  " 

"  You  also  are  cruel,  for  you  often  refuse  to  see  me !  " 
began  Paolo,  but  Francesca  gently  stemmed  the  com- 
ing outburst  and  bade  him  read  further.  Then  Paolo 
read  on,  describing  how  the  Queen  received  Lancelot 
kindly,  and  both  agreed  that  they  must  have  been  very 
happy.  But  when  the  next  few  lines  pictured  how, 
upon  the  Queen's  inquiry  as  to  what  reward  Lancelot 
sought  for  the  deeds  he  had  done  and,  how,  for  answer, 
the  knight  had  gazed  into  her  eyes  and  they  both 
understood,  Paolo  could  read  no  further.  Flinging 
himself  at  the  feet  of  Francesca  he  sobbed  forth  his 
own  love,  which  refused  to  be  repressed  any  longer,  and 
entreated  her  to  have  pity  upon  him  and  to  love  him 
in  return. 

Francesca  made  one  more  desperate  attempt  to 
resist  the  fierce  answering  call  of  her  own  heart, 
gently  bidding  the  kneeling  youth  to  remember  that 


FRANCESCA  DA  RIMINI  95 

though  they  must  suffer  renunciation  in  their  present 
Uves,  yet  joy  would  be  theirs  in  the  next  world.  Paolo, 
however,  declared  that  love  in  Paradise  seemed  cold 
and  a  long  way  off,  and  that  he  longed  only  for  love 
now  in  this  present  life  ;  and  he  added  passionately  : 
"  I  would  gladly  renounce  Paradise  and  all  it  means 
for  one  sweet  kiss  from  thee,  for  that  kiss  would  hold 
in  one  moment  all  that  Eternity  could  give  !  " 

He  endeavoured  to  draw  her  towards  him  as  he 
spoke,  but  Francesca,  pale  and  frightened,  drew  back, 
bidding  him  remember  that  she  belonged  to  another, 
and  that  if  she  should  thus  prove  unfaithful  to  her 
wedded  lord — even  though  she  loved  him  not — she 
believed  that  the  punishment  of  the  Inferno  awaited 
her  and  her  fellow-sinner. 

"  What  of  that  !  "  cried  Paolo,  once  more  drawing 
her  into  his  grasp.  "  At  least,  we  should  be  together  ! 
We  were  made  for  one  another  !  Therefore,  let  us 
love  and  live  and  suffer  together  !  Come,  love  me, 
my  Francesca,  and  let  the  memory  of  our  kisses  be 
eternal  happiness  for  us  !  " 

Francesca  could  no  longer  resist  the  passionate 
pleading  of  Paolo  and  the  call  of  youth  within  her,  and, 
with  a  cry  of  joy  the  lovers  fell  into  each  other's  arms 
and  resigned  themselves  to  the  exquisite  happiness  of 
the  love  that  consumed  them. 

Thus  were  they  found  by  the  returning  conqueror, 
Malatesta,  who  took  up  his  sword  and  slew  them  both 
as  they  lay  clasped  in  their  first  embrace  ;  and  so 
passed  away,  in  that  moment  of  perfect  joy,  Paolo  and 


96  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Francesca,  from  the  dazzling  golden  light  of  love  into 
the  blackness  of  oblivion,  to  awaken  in  the  abode  of 
lost  souls. 


EPILOGUE 

As  the  unhappy  Shades  of  Paolo  and  Francesca 
finished  the  recital  of  their  tale  of  love  and  woe  and 
passed  on  with  the  other  phantoms  upon  the  rushing 
wind  of  the  eternal  storm,  Dante,  full  of  compassion 
for  their  sufferings,  fell  back  unconscious.  At  the 
same  moment  the  sad  dirge  of  the  lost  spirits  could  be 
heard  in  the  distance  chanting  their  chorus  :  "  There 
is  no  greater  sorrow  in  the  world  than  the  remembrance 
of  happy  days  when  happiness  has  fled  !  " 


RIMSKT-KORSAKOV 


A  NIGHT  IN   MAY 

One  warm  evening  in  May  great  merry-makings  were 
taking  place  in  a  certain  village  of  Little  Russia,  for 
it  was  the  season  of  Whitsuntide  or  the  Week  of  the 
Water-nymphs,  when  the  youths  and  maidens  of  the 
country-side  decked  themselves  in  their  gayest  attire 
and  met  to  play  their  national  games  and  to  dance 
and  sing  together  in  happy  groups. 

This  was  the  most  joyous  season  of  the  year  for 
the  young  people,  for  Love  was  in  the  air  and  many  a 
pretty  maid  secured  a  bold  sweetheart  during  these 
springtime  festivities,  and  first  one  couple  and  then 
another  would  slip  apart  from  the  noisy  throng  to 
wander  away  together  into  the  more  unfrequented 
woodland  paths,  there  to  exchange  their  sweet  vows, 
or  to  sit  by  the  lake-side,  waiting,  hand  locked  in 
hand,  for  the  water-nymphs  to  appear.  For  at  this 
particular  festival-time  the  superstitious  village  folk 
believed  that  the  spirits  of  unhappy  maidens  who 
had  sought  oblivion  from  their  sorrows  by  drowning, 
appeared  again  in  the  form  of  water-nymphs  and 
might  often  be  seen  dancing  in  rings  on  the  banks  ot 
streams  and  lakes,  weaving  wreaths  of  flowers  and 
singing  mysterious  songs  of  love,  now  sad,  now  gay. 
But  the  silence  and  air  of  mystery  pervading  these 

97 


98  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

more  unfrequented  sylvan  scenes  soon  oppressed  the 
newly-made  lovers,  and  most  of  them  were  glad  enough 
to  rejoin  the  light-hearted  revellers  in  the  village 
after  a  short  absence. 

On  this  particular  evening  the  young  people  had 
chosen  for  their  meeting-place  a  pretty  spot  at  the 
end  of  the  village,  opposite  the  cottage  of  the  village 
belle,  Hanna,  and  here  they  held  high  revels.  Not 
very  far  distant  there  stretched  a  large  lake,  set  in 
somewhat  gloomy  surroundings,  and  beyond  this,  in 
the  distance,  stood  the  ruins  of  a  nobleman's  ancient 
mansion,  once  the  scene  of  a  grim  tragedy  and  now 
reputed  to  be  haunted.  The  shadow  of  mystery  that 
hung  over  the  sombre  lake  and  castle  beyond,  however, 
did  not  cloud  the  high  spirits  of  the  rustic  revellers, 
and  they  still  pursued  their  games  and  dances  as 
untiringly  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  day,  although  the 
shadows  of  evening  were  already  creeping  down  the 
hill-sides  and  darkening  the  forest  glades  beyond. 

Such  interest  did  the  villagers  take  in  this  festival 
that  quite  a  large  number  of  the  old  folks  and  gossips 
of  the  place  had  gathered  together  near  the  abode  of 
the  favoured  beauty,  Hanna,  and  formed  a  delighted 
audience,  renewing  the  memories  of  their  own  young 
days,  while  the  youths  and  maidens  played  the  cele- 
brated "  Khorovods  "  or  country  games,  in  which  the 
players  not  only  acted  the  various  "  plots  "  in  a  very 
spirited  manner,  but  also  sang  and  danced  in  artistic 
rhythm  to  a  musical  accompaniment  supplied  by  an 
energetic  performer  on  a  pipe. 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  99 

Special  interest  and  applause  was  accorded  to  an 
enthusiastic  rendering  of  the  favourite  game  known  as 
*'  The  Millet,"  for,  in  addition  to  the  combined  singing 
and  actions  of  the  performers,  intricate  solo  dances 
were  introduced  into  the  game  by  a  young  man  named 
Kalennik,  the  best  dancer  of  all  the  village  youths. 
So  great  a  favourite  was  this  famous  game  that  it 
had  to  be  repeated  at  various  points  of  the  village, 
so  that  all  might  enjoy  its  merry  measures  ;  and  after 
it  had  come  to  an  end  outside  the  cottage  of  Hanna  the 
lively  party  tripped  off  to  begin  it  again  at  the  other 
end  of  the  village,  while  the  old  folks  returned  to  their 
cottages  to  gossip  and  to  criticise  the  performance 
they  had  just  witnessed. 

Thus,  as  the  twilight  deepened,  the  open  space  in 
front  of  Hanna's  abode  became  quite  silent  and 
deserted  ;  and  presently  a  graceful  youth  slipped  out 
from  amidst  the  shadows  and,  approaching  the  cottage, 
began  to  sing  in  subdued  but  passionate  tones  a  love- 
song  to  the  low  accompaniment  of  the  bandoora,  a 
native  instrument  upon  which  he  was  a  very  skilful 
player. 

This  serenader  was  the  son  of  the  village  Mayor  and 
was  a  handsome  young  man  named  Levko,  who  was 
the  favoured  admirer  of  the  fair  Hanna,  and  who  had 
given  the  slip  to  his  gay  companions  in  order  to  steal 
a  few  blissful  moments  with  his  beloved  one,  whom  he 
well  knew  to  be  waiting  within  her  closed  doors  for  his 
expected  arrival.  However,  although  the  love-sick 
youth  sang  more  passionately  than  usual  beneath  her 


100  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

window,  entreating  her  to  come  forth,  Hanna — who, 
Uke  most  other  fair  maidens,  dehghted  in  teasing  her 
lover — did  not  immediately  appear  ;  and  it  was  not 
until  Levko  was  about  to  depart  in  a  pet  that  she  at 
length  came  forth  with  a  sweet  surprised  smile  of 
welcome  which  at  once  scattered  the  threatening 
clouds  from  the  young  man's  face. 

The  lovers  indulged  in  happy  converse  for  a  short 
time,  and  when  Hanna  tearfully  expressed  fear  that 
their  happiness  might  not  last,  because  she  occupied 
a  humbler  position  in  the  village  than  did  the  Mayor's 
son,  Levko  comforted  her  tenderly  and  declared  stoutly 
that  he  would  soon  gain  the  consent  of  his  father  to 
their  union,  even  though  that  all-important  person 
withheld  it  at  present. 

By  this  time  the  twilight  had  deepened  almost  to 
darkness  and  the  stars  were  already  shining  overhead  : 
and  as  Hanna's  gaze  travelled  back  from  the  ghttering 
heavens  and  across  to  the  mysterious  lake  and  haunted 
mansion  beyond,  she  shuddered  for  a  moment.  Then, 
suddenly,  she  begged  her  lover  to  relate  to  her  the 
story  of  the  tragedy  that  had  happened  years  ago  in 
the  castle  before  it  was  deserted  and  had  fallen  into 
ruins — a  story  of  mystery  which  had  never  been  told 
to  her,  but  which  she  knew  the  old  village  gossips 
sometimes  spoke  of  to  one  another  in  awed  whispers. 
To-night,  as  she  gazed  across  at  the  ancient  mansion 
over  the  sombre  depths  of  the  lake,  her  curiosity  was 
aroused  afresh,  and  she  entreated  Levko  to  repeat  the 
story   to  her.     For   a  long   time,   however,   Levko, 


A  NlGHi  IN  MA7  loi 

although  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  story, 
tried  to  avoid  repeating  it  to  her,  declaring  that  it  was 
too  sad  and  grim  a  tale  for  a  young  maid  to  hear  and 
would  only  fill  her  with  fears  and  keep  her  awake  at 
nights ;  but  Hanna  desired  all  the  more  to  hear  the 
story,  and  became  so  importunate  in  her  entreaties 
that  at  last  the  young  man  yielded  to  her  wish  and 
related  to  her  the  old  legend,  which  was  as  follows  : 

In  the  early  days  of  the  castle  a  certain  nobleman 
had  lived  there  with  his  beautiful  daughter  and  only 
child,  whose  name  was  Pannochka,  and  who  loved  him 
with  such  passionate  devotion  that  her  whole  life  was 
bound  up  in  him,  so  that  she  had  no  love  left  to 
bestow  even  upon  a  sweetheart.  But,  as  the  daughter 
grew  to  maidenhood,  the  father,  who  was  a  widower, 
decided  to  marry  again  ;  and  one  day,  to  the  great 
grief  of  the  lovely  Pannochka,  she  was  bidden  to  give 
greeting  and  place  to  a  stepmother,  who,  though  also 
of  great  beauty,  bestowed  such  an  evil  glance  of 
jealous  hatred  upon  her  husband's  child  that  the 
latter  was  frightened  and  fled  from  her  presence. 
With  tearful  entreaty  she  clung  to  her  father  and 
begged  that  he  would  still  love  her  and  caress  her  as 
before,  and  she  refused  to  be  comforted  until  he 
promised  to  do  so. 

But  that  night,  as  Pannochka  sat  alone  in  her 
chamber  very  sad  at  heart,  feeling  that  she  was  no 
longer  first  in  her  father's  affections,  a  fierce  black 
cat  suddenly  approached  her,  and,  with  a  snarl  of 
rage,  pounced  upon  her  with  its  dreadful  claws  ex- 

H 


102  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

tended.  The  maiden  sprang  to  her  feet  in  terror  and 
seizing  her  father's  sabre,  which  happened  to  be  lying 
close  by,  struck  wildly  at  the  strange  cat  and  drove 
it,  still  snarling  and  screeching,  from  the  room. 

The  next  day  the  nobleman's  new  wife  kept  her 
chamber  and  was  not  even  seen  at  table,  and  for 
another  day  also  she  did  not  appear.  When,  on  the 
third  day,  she  came  forth  from  her  chamber,  it  was 
seen  that  her  hand  was  bound  up  with  a  linen  cloth, 
as  though  wounded;  and  then  thenobleman's  daughter 
realised  the  dreadful  truth.  Her  beloved  father's 
new  wife  was  a  wicked  witch,  and  by  means  of  her 
enchantments  had  transformed  herself  into  a  black 
cat  on  the  night  of  her  arrival,  hoping,  in  that  dis- 
guise, to  bring  about  the  death  from  fright  of  her 
beautiful  stepdaughter,  of  whom  she  was  already 
jealous. 

Her  first  plan  having  failed  she  was  quick  to  find 
another  ;  and,  by  her  evil  influence,  she  succeeded  in 
poisoning  the  mind  of  the  father  against  his  child. 
That  same  day  Pannochka  was  commanded  to  perform 
the  menial  tasks  of  the  humblest  servant  and  was  for- 
bidden to  enter  her  father's  presence,  and  before  the 
fifth  day  was  ended  she  was  driven  forth  from  the 
castle  gates,  cold,  hungry  and  clad  in  rags — this  cruel 
deed  being  done  by  the  nobleman  himself  at  the  bid- 
ding of  his  witch-wife,  whose  evil  influence  he  was 
already  powerless  to  resist. 

The  heart-broken  Pannochka  wandered  but  a  few 
steps  ;  and  then,  in  her  mad  despair,  she  flung  herself 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  103 

from  the  top  of  a  steep  bank  into  the  depths  of  the 
silent  lake  below,  and  was  seen  no  more  in  mortal 
form. 

"  Poor,  unhappy  Pannochka,  how  my  heart  bleeds 
for  her  !  "  murmured  the  sympathetic  Hanna,  as  she 
clung  to  her  lover's  arm  ;  and  Levko,  with  great 
tenderness,  drew  her  closer  to  his  side  as  he  con- 
tinued :  "  But  that  is  not  the  end  of  the  tale,  my 
Hanna  !  As  the  years  have  gone  by  the  legend  has 
come  down  to  us  with  mysterious  additions.  It  is 
said  that  as  the  despairing  Pannochka  plunged  into 
the  lake  she  was  received  there  by  the  water-nymphs 
who  dwell  in  its  depths,  and  that  she  became  their 
Queen  ;  and  with  them,  every  now  and  again,  so  the 
gossips  declare,  she  would  come  out  into  the  castle 
grounds  at  night  to  dance  and  play  in  the  moonlight. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  the  legend  says,  she  saw  her 
stepmother  walking  on  the  lawn,  and,  enticing  the 
wicked  woman  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  dragged  her 
down  into  the  lake.  The  witch,  however,  was  quick 
to  save  herself  from  destruction,  and,  by  means  of  lier 
magic,  instantly  transformed  herself  into  a  water- 
nymph,  and  thus  escaped. 

"  The  old  wives  of  the  village,"  added  Levko, 
"  say  even  now  that  at  intervals  Pannochka  still 
dances  with  her  nymphs  in  the  moonlight,  and  that 
if  any  mortal  happens  to  come  by  she  compels  the 
stranger  to  guess  which  of  the  water  sprites  is  her 
witch-stepmother,  declaring  that  she  can  never  be 
light  and  gay  as  are  her  fairy  companions  until  she 


104  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

has  discovered  this  evil  enemy  of  her  mortal  days, 
whom  she  seeks  persistently. 

"  But  do  not  tremble,  my  Hanna,  for  these  are  but 
old  wives'  tales  and  you  must  not  pay  heed  to  them 
nor  let  them  affright  you  !  Hark  !  the  merry  revellers 
are  approaching  once  more,  and  we  must  part  until 
to-morrow.  Good-night,  my  beloved  one,  and  may 
sweet  dreams  visit  thee  !  " 

With  a  last  hasty  embrace  Levko  slipped  away  once 
more  into  the  shadows  of  the  trees ;  and  as  Hanna 
retired  into  her  cottage  and  closed  the  door,  the  rustic 
dancers  returned,  more  lively  than  before. 

This  time  the  dancing  was  fast  and  furious,  for  now 
that  darkness  had  fallen  the  fussy  old  Mayor  of  the 
village  had  commanded  that  the  revels  should  cease 
and  that  the  young  people  should  retire  to  their 
homes  at  once,  that  they  thus  might  be  prevented 
from  getting  into  mischief  or  indulging  in  unseemly 
pranks.  The  young  men,  however,  thought  other- 
wise, and  were  determined  to  keep  up  their  frolics  as 
long  as  they  pleased ;  and  for  a  short  time  the  girls 
also  lingered  to  applaud  the  wild  dancing  of  their 
favourite,  Kalennik,  who,  now  in  a  half-intoxicated 
condition,  was  vainly  endeavouring  to  dance  the 
"  Hopak,"  another  national  dance  which  required 
careful  balancing  on  the  part  of  the  performer,  and 
which,  rendered  by  the  young  Cossack  with  his 
already  unsteady  legs,  caused  much  amusement  to 
the  onlookers. 

Seeing  that  the  girls  were  laughing  at  him,  Kalennik 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  105 

gave  chase  to  them,  declaring  that  he  would  snatch  a 
kiss  from  each  one  ;  then,  finding  that  the  giris  were 
too  quick  for  him  and  that  they  were  all  clever  enough 
to  elude  his  random  embraces,  he  announced  his 
intention  of  resting  for  awhile  in  the  first  house  he 
came  to,  no  matter  whose  it  might  prove  to  be,  even 
the  Mayor's,  adding  recklessly  and  with  drunken 
bravado  :  "  Who  cares  a  fig  for  the  fat,  old,  one-eyed 
Mayor  ?  He's  a  silly  dotard,  wanting  to  stop  our 
revels  just  when  we  are  beginning  to  enjoy  ourselves  ! 
I'll  look  for  his  house,  and  when  I  find  it,  I'll  go  in 
without  being  asked  and  tell  him  I  don't  care  a  jot  for 
any  Mayor  !     I'll  be  my  own  Mayor !  " 

With  these  words  Kalennik  reeled  down  the  street  in 
the  direction  of  the  Mayor's  house.  The  maidens, 
now  somewhat  alarmed,  fled  hastily  to  their  homes, 
but  the  young  men  hid  in  the  shadows,  waiting,  with 
stifled  laughter,  to  see  what  would  happen  next. 
Very  soon  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  glorious  prank, 
for  Levko,  who  was  also  hidden  amongst  the  bushes, 
quickly  enlisted  their  services  on  his  behalf. 

The  young  serenader  had  observed  a  cloaked  figure 
approach  stealthily  to  the  door  of  Hanna's  house  and 
knock  thereon.  Full  of  surprise  and  curiosity  to 
know  who  this  nocturnal  visitor — who  was  of  bulky 
figure — could  be,  Levko  drew  nearer,  though  still 
keeping  in  hiding,  and  he  was  just  in  time  to  hear  a 
declaration  of  love  uttered  by  the  stranger  as  soon  as 
the  village  beauty  appeared  in  the  doorway  in  answer 
to  the  request  for  admission.     Then,   to  the  utter 


io6  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

amazement  of  the  young  man,  he  recognised  the  voice 
of  this  new  suitor  to  be  that  of  his  own  father,  and 
he  reahsed,  at  first  with  indignation  and  later  with 
amusement,  that  the  pompous  and  fussy  Mayor, 
although  so  fond  of  preaching  propriety  to  the  youths 
of  the  village,  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  vain 
old  philanderer  himself,  who,  in  secret,  ran  after  pretty 
girls  and  indulged  in  many  unseemly  frivolities  not  in 
keeping  with  his  years  and  exalted  position. 

In  his  present  pursuit,  however,  this  elderly  Don 
Juan  met  with  no  success  and  with  scant  civility,  for, 
to  the  great  delight  of  the  concealed  Levko,  Hanna 
indignantly  refused  all  the  advances  of  the  Mayor  with 
great  scorn,  expressing  disgust  at  his  daring  to  make 
love  to  her,  and  threatening  to  reveal  his  baseness  to 
her  own  true  lover,  Levko.  Nevertheless,  the  old 
libertine  was  not  easily  got  rid  of ;  and  in  wheedling 
tones  he  continued  to  entreat  the  pretty  girl  to  accept 
his  advances,  promising  to  give  her  in  return  fine 
necklaces  and  to  deck  her  gaily  as  became  the  fairest 
maiden  in  the  village  and  the  chosen  of  himself.  With 
inordinate  vanity  he  reminded  her  that  when  the 
great  Empress  Catherine  had  visited  the  Crimea  he  had 
been  chosen,  as  the  cleverest  and  handsomest  of  the 
Cossacks,  to  accompany  her,  and  was  accommodated 
with  a  seat  on  her  coach  of  state  and  given  fine  gar- 
ments to  wear  ;  and  he  declared  that,  although  he  was 
certainly  now  grey-haired  and  had  but  one  eye,  he 
was  still  a  fine  Cossack,  and  that  it  was  an  honour  for 
any  girl  to  receive  his  attentions,  adding  that  his  son 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  107 

Levko,  who  had  had  the  impudence  to  declare  love 
for  her,  was  but  a  foolish  boy,  too  young  to  know  the 
meaning  of  love. 

This  last  remark  was  more  than  Levko  could  stand, 
and,  determining  to  teach  his  ridiculous  parent  a 
lesson,  he  sought  out  the  other  youths  in  their  hiding- 
places  and  whispered  the  suggestion  to  them  that  they 
should  seize  the  importunate  suitor  and  make  a 
laughing-stock  of  him.  Needing  no  second  bidding, 
but  full  of  delight  at  the  thought  of  such  a  prank,  the 
young  men  flung  themselves  upon  the  astonished 
Mayor  and  began  to  hug  and  kiss  him,  to  the  great 
relief  of  Hanna,  who  quickly  retired  within  her  cottage 
and  bolted  the  door  ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  much 
struggling  and  angry  expostulation  that  her  elderly 
and  unwanted  admirer  managed  to  free  himself 
from  the  encircling  embraces  of  the  boisterous  youths 
and  to  break  away  from  them  and  hasten  back  to  his 
own  house. 

But  Levko  did  not  intend  to  let  the  foolish  official 
off  so  lightly,  considering  that  such  an  absurd  old 
humbug  deserved  a  more  salutary  punishment  for 
refusing  consent  to  his  son's  marriage  and  then 
attempting  to  make  love  himself  to  the  latter's 
sweetheart.  So  he  gathered  his  boon  companions 
together  again  and  taught  them  a  disrespectful  song 
about  the  "  one-eyed,  crazy  Mayor,"  which  he  com- 
posed on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  and  which  he 
arranged  they  should  presently  sing  beneath  the 
windows  of  the  "  great  man's  "  house. 


io8  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Meanwhile,  the  Mayor  had  quickly  recovered  his 
equanimity  and  lost  dignity  within  the  safe  and  respec- 
table confines  of  his  own  home  ;  and  here,  a  little  later 
in  the  evening,  he  entertained  a  visitor  in  the  person 
of  a  noted  distiller,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  present 
owner  of  the  haunted  castle  to  establish  a  distillery 
upon  that  ill-omened  spot. 

The  Mayor's  sister-in-law,  a  prim  and  fussy  old 
maid,  who  had  kept  house  for  him  since  he  had  been  a 
widower,  was  paying  obsequious  attention  to  the  guest, 
who  was  very  desirable  in  her  eyes,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  he  was  extremely  rotund  in  appearance  and 
was,  in  addition,  the  possessor  of  a  loud  coarse  laugh, 
which  shook  the  whole  of  his  fat,  flabby  body  every 
few  moments ;  and  both  she  and  her  brother-in-law 
waxed  enthusiastic  in  their  approval  on  hearing  that 
the  distillery  would  be  built  and  in  working  order  by 
the  autumn,  and  that  the  jovial  distiller  himself 
would  live  in  their  midst  for  the  next  few  months  as  a 
gay  "  grass- widower." 

The  three  were  laughing  heartily  at  the  new-comer's 
comic  description  of  his  conjugal  dullness  when 
suddenly  the  door  was  burst  open  and  Kal^nnik, 
the  drunken  dancer,  reeled  into  the  room,  still  de- 
claring in  maudlin  tones  :  "  What  is  the  one-eyed  old 
Mayor  to  me  ?     I  am  my  own  Mayor  !  " 

Paying  no  attention  to  the  occupants  of  the  room 
the  roysterer  coolly  flung  himself  on  to  a  bench, 
where  he  promptly  fell  asleep  and  was  soon  snoring 
loudly  ;  and  the  distiller  quickly  dissipated  the  indig- 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  109 

nation  of  his  host  by  declaring  with  his  fat  laugh  that 
such  a  spectacle  boded  well  for  the  new  distillery. 

Next  moment,  however,  a  stone  was  flung  into  the 
room  through  the  unbarred  window,  and  the  Mayor, 
now  suspecting  that  mischief  was  afoot,  angrily 
called  down  maledictions  upon  the  impudent  thrower 
of  the  missile,  wishing  that  it  might  return  and  choke 
him.  On  hearing  this  the  distiller  turned  pale  and  in 
trembling  tones  begged  the  Mayor  not  to  utter  such  a 
curse,  lest  the  same  fate  should  overtake  him  as  had 
befallen  his  (the  distiller's)  mother-in-law,  who, 
having  once,  in  a  fit  of  rage,  uttered  a  similar  curse 
upon  a  greedy  guest  who  had  eaten  at  her  board  more 
heartily  than  was  consistent  with  good  manners, 
wishing  that  the  food  might  choke  him,  had  been 
horrified  at  the  sudden  consummation  of  her  wish,  the 
stranger  having  choked  and  died  the  next  instant — 
and  his  ghost  had  haunted  her  ever  since. 

As  the  recital  of  this  comical  yet  gruesome  tale  came 
to  an  end  the  sound  of  music  came  from  outside  the 
windows  and,  next  moment,  a  number  of  youths' 
voices  were  heard  singing  the  disrespectful  song 
about  the  "  one-eyed,  crazy  Mayor  "  which  had  just 
been  composed  by  Levko. 

The  Mayor  was  furious  at  being  thus  held  up  to 
ridicule  in  the  presence  of  a  guest  of  importance,  and 
hastened  out  of  doors  angrily  to  catch  the  ring- 
leader— little  dreaming  that  this  was  his  own  son  ; 
and  presently  he  returned  dragging  in  with  him  a 
youth  who  was  indeed  Levko,  but  whom  he  did  not 


no  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

recognise,  as  the  mischievous  youth  had  disguised 
himself  very  effectively  by  wearing  his  sheepskin 
coat  turned  inside  out  and  by  blacking  his  face  with 
soot. 

There  was  a  small  lock-up  adjoining  the  Mayor's 
parlour,  and  seeing  that  his  irate  father  was  about  to 
thrust  him  within  this  undesirable  chamber,  Levko 
managed  to  wrench  himself  free  and  to  rejoin  his 
companions  outside  ;  and  at  the  same  moment  a 
sudden  gust  of  wind  extinguished  the  lights,  so  that 
the  angry  Mayor,  seeking  to  recapture  his  prisoner  in 
the  dark,  seized  his  sister-in-law  by  mistake,  and, 
heedless  of  her  frantic  expostulations,  clapped  her 
unceremoniously  into  the  lock-up  and  barred  the  door. 

He  was  just  recovering  breath  after  his  exciting 
chase  when  the  village  clerk  bustled  in,  puffing  and 
blowing  also,  declaring  that  the  rowdy  youths  had 
caused  a  tumult  in  the  street  by  their  ribald  singing  ; 
and  he  added  with  great  satisfaction  :  "  But  I  have 
caught  the  ringleader,  Mr  Mayor,  that  rascal  in  the 
sheepskin  coat  turned  inside  out,  and  I  have  him 
safely  under  lock  and  key  in  the  penthouse  adjoining 
my  poor  dwelling  !  " 

"  Then,  who  is  the  rascal  in  my  lock-up,  for  me- 
thought  I  caught  the  ringleader  myself  !  "  demanded 
the  stupid  old  Mayor  ;  and  hastily  unfastening  the 
door  of  the  strong-room,  he  was  amazed  at  being  con- 
fronted by  his  infuriated  sister-in-law,  who  poured 
forth  an  angry  tirade  upon  him  for  having  dared  to 
imprison  her.     Nearly  choking  with  rage  the  offended 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  iii 

spinster  ran  out  into  the  street,  where  she  was  instantly 
seized  by  the  rowdy  serenaders,  who  had  already 
managed  to  effect  the  escape  of  Levko  from  the  clerk's 
lock-up,  and  who  now,  still  bent  on  mischief,  hurried 
the  struggling  female  along  and  deposited  her  in  the, 
penthouse  in  place  of  their  merry  leader.  Then 
they  dispersed  quickly,  well  satisfied  with  their  frolic 
for  the  time  being. 

The  consequence  was  that  when,  a  short  time  later, 
the  pompous  old  Mayor  came  along  with  the  distiller 
and  attended  by  the  triumphant  clerk  to  examine  the 
supposed  roysterer  within  the  penthouse,  upon  the 
door  being  opened,  he  was  again  confounded  by  be- 
holding his  irate  sister-in-law,  whose  vituperations  on 
this  occasion  were  even  more  venomous  than  on  the 
last.  After  declaring  spitefully  that  the  insinuations 
in  the  ribald  song  of  the  roysterers  were  true,  that  she 
had  known  of  his  dallyings  for  a  long  time  past,  and 
that  he  was  a  vain  old  dotard  to  run  after  young 
girls,  the  indignant  female  stalked  away  to  her  home, 
leaving  the  Mayor  to  follow  in  sober  silence,  cowed  by 
her  violence  and  obliged  to  endure  the  quizzical 
side-glances  of  his  guest  and  of  his  subordinate. 

Meanwhile,  Levko,  the  mischievous  cause  of  all  this 
commotion,  had  escaped  from  his  companions  for  a 
short  spell,  and,  after  washing  the  soot  from  his  face, 
had  wandered  off  to  the  now  deserted  lake-side  to 
collect  his  scattered  wits.  Quickly  the  thoughts  of 
the  ardent  young  lover  came  to  the  object  of  his 
passion,   his  fair  sweetheart,   Hanna  ;    and  soon  he 


112  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

brought  forth  his  bandoora  and  began  to  play  upon  it 
with  a  tender  touch  and  to  sing  to  its  accompaniment 
a  sweet  love-song  in  honour  of  his  adored  one. 

So  engrossed  was  he  in  his  happy  thoughts  that  at 
first  he  did  not  notice  that  strange  happenings  were 
taking  place  around  him.  Almost  immediately  after 
he  commenced  singing,  a  window  in  the  haunted  castle 
hard  by  was  flung  open,  and  at  the  same  moment 
the  pale  reflection  of  a  lovely  maiden  was  seen  in  the 
water  below — the  reflection  of  the  drowned  Pannochka 
— who  called  softly  to  the  love-sick  serenader  to  sing 
on,  since  his  music  was  welcome. 

Not  until  the  spirit-maiden  had  called  the  second 
time  did  the  rapt  Levko  real^'se  that  he  was  not  alone  ; 
and  then  he  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet  and  rubbed  his 
eyes  in  amazement  as  his  gaze  fell  upon  a  marvellous 
sight — a  scene  which  he  had  thought  until  this  moment 
was  only  to  be  met  within  the  dreams  of  childhood. 
While  he  had  been  singing  a  host  of  ethereal  water- 
nymphs  had  stepped  out  from  the  lake  and  were 
now  singing  and  dancing  lightly  upon  the  banks  and 
dew-sprinkled  lawns  beyond ;  and  as  the  silvery 
beams  of  the  moonlight  shone  upon  them,  their 
shadowy  forms  appeared  to  be  almost  transparent, 
though  their  clinging  white  draperies  and  long  tresses 
of  hair  sparkled  with  water-drops  and  sprayed  the 
mossy  ground  with  crystal  showers  at  every  move- 
ment. 

These  pale  yet  lovely  beings  were  the  ghostly 
spirits  of  drowned  maidens  who  had  sought  in  watery 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  113 

graves  oblivion  from  the  persecutions  of  the  wicked  or 
from  the  heartlessnessof  faithless  lovers;  and  it  seemed 
that  the  sweet  music  made  by  the  young  Cossack  had 
brought  them  forth  and  that  for  the  time  being  they 
had  cast  aside  their  melancholy  and  were  happy  once 
more  as  they  sang  and  danced  or  wove  wreaths  of  the 
pale  spring  flowers  which  gemmed  the  banks  and 
grassy  dells. 

As  Levko  gazed  upon  this  fair  company  with 
mingled  awe  and  admiration,  Pannochka,  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  nymphs — of  whom  she  was  the 
Queen — came  and  stood  beside  the  young  man  and 
said  to  him  in  her  sweet  unearthly  voice  :  "  Sing  on, 
kind  youth  !  Your  music  brings  joy  to  my  maidens 
and  me,  and  helps  us  to  forget  the  sorrows  of  the 
past  !     Play  on,  brave  Cossack,  I  prithee  !  " 

Levko  needed  no  second  bidding,  for  he  was  thrilled 
and  fascinated  by  the  fairy-like  scene ;  and  he  played 
willingly  and  enthusiastically  upon  his  bandoora, 
and  even  joined  in  the  songs  of  the  water-nymphs 
as  they  tripped  lightly  as  butterflies  in  the  rhythmic 
measures  of  their  fantastic  dance.  At  first  they  sang 
gaily  as  they  danced  with  garlands  of  flowers  in  their 
hands  ;  and  then,  suddenly,  their  song  came  to  an  end 
and  they  cast  their  wreaths  into  the  lake  and  stood 
with  drooping  heads,  sadly  watching  the  drowning 
flowers. 

Whilst  her  maidens  thus  enacted  in  song  and  dance 
the  joys  and  sorrows  of  their  mortal  days,  the  lovely 
Pannochka  flitted  to  the  side  of  Levko  and  whispered 


114  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

in  his  ear  :  "  Find  my  wicked  stepmother  for  me,  good 
youth  !  Even  now  her  evil  spell  is  still  upon  me,  so 
that  I  cannot  swim  freely  through  the  waters,  but  am 
stifled  in  their  depths  !  She  is  here  amongst  the 
nymphs,  but  I  know  not  which  is  she  !  Find  her 
for  me,  brave  Cossack,  and  I  will  reward  thee  by  giving 
thee  thy  heart's  desire  !  " 

So  full  of  entreaty  was  the  voice  of  the  drowned 
Pannochka  that  Levko  longed  to  grant  her  request, 
though  he  knew  not  how  to  do  so  ;  but  just  at  that 
moment  the  nymphs  recovered  their  lost  gaiety  once 
more  and  began  to  play  the  game  known  as  "  The 
Raven,"  which,  as  luck  would  have  it,  gave  the  young 
man  the  clue  to  the  information  he  desired  to  obtain. 
In  this  game  one  of  the  performers  represents  a  raven 
which  desires  to  harry  and  peck  to  death  the  rest  of 
the  players,  who  represent  chickens,  supposed  to  be 
the  family  of  another  member  of  the  company  repre- 
senting a  brood  hen,  who,  in  her  turn,  endeavours  to 
protect  her  chicks  from  the  attacks  of  the  fierce  raven. 

The  game  was  quickly  played  through  by  the 
nymphs,  who  immediately  desired  to  play  it  over 
again  a  second  time;  but  soon  they  were  in  a  quandary, 
for  the  nymph  who  had  played  the  "  raven  "  refused 
to  play  it  again,  being  so  tender-hearted  that  she  did 
not  like  to  peck  the  "  chicks  "  even  in  play.  Soon, 
however,  another  nymph  came  forward  and  said  that 
she  had  no  such  objection  to  playing  the  "  raven  "  ; 
and  so  eager  was  she  to  take  this  thankless  part  that 
Levko's  attention  was  drawn  to  her  and  he  watched 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  115 

her  subsequent  actions  with  curiosity,  fascinated  by 
her  strangely  realistic  animosity  to  the  harmless 
"  chicks."  As  the  game  proceeded  he  became  sus- 
picious as  to  her  identity,  and  when,  at  the  end,  she 
pounced  upon  the  "  chicks,"  such  a  baleful  light 
gleamed  in  her  eyes  that  he  cried  out  accusingly  : 
"  The  nymph  who  plays  the  '  raven  '  is  the  wicked 
witch  !  " 

Full  of  joy  at  the  young  man's  discovery  the 
players  seized  the  spiteful  nymph  who  had  played  the 
"  raven  "  and  disappeared  with  her  into  the  depths 
of  the  lake  ;  but,  next  moment,  Pannochka  again 
appeared  beside  the  still  gazing  Levko,  and,  thanking 
him  for  having  discovered  for  her  the  wicked  enemy  of 
her  mortal  days,  whose  evil  spell  was  thus  removed 
from  her  for  ever  so  that  she  could  now  swim  freely 
in  the  water  with  ease  and  pleasure,  she  desired  the 
young  Cossack  to  name  the  reward  he  desired  for  the 
good  service  he  had  rendered  to  her.  Upon  his 
modest  refusal  to  do  so,  she  placed  a  sealed  letter  in 
his  hand,  and  said  softly  :  "  You  love  Hanna,  the 
fairest  maiden  in  the  village,  and  your  selfish  father 
refuses  consent  to  your  union.  But  now  let  him 
know  the  contents  of  this  packet  and  he  will  no  longer 
refuse.  Fare  thee  well,  brave  youth,  and  may  you 
be  happy  evermore  with  your  adored  one  !  " 

With  these  words  the  Queen  of  the  Water-nymphs 
vanished,  and  Levko  was  left  rubbing  his  still 
astonished  eyes  and  trying  to  believe  that  he  had 
been    dreaming.     But    no  !     The    letter    which    the 


ii6  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

drowned  Pannochka  had  given  to  him  still  lay  in 
his  hand  ;  and  the  young  Cossack,  not  stopping  to 
consider  its  supernatural  source,  but  thankful  for 
the  gift  of  the  beautiful  stranger,  hurried  back  to  the 
village  without  further  ado,  to  test  its  magic  powers. 

He  found  that,  followed  by  a  gaping  crowd,  the 
Mayor,  accompanied  by  his  clerk,  was  still  endeavour- 
ing to  discover  the  ringleader  of  the  roystering  youths 
who  had  so  rudely  disturbed  his  peace  of  mind  ;  and 
upon  Levko  suddenly  appearing,  still  wearing  his 
sheepskin  coat  turned  inside  out,  he  was  at  once 
seized  by  the  clerk  as  the  culprit  and  brought  before 
the  irate  official. 

As  the  Mayor  glared  at  the  captive,  thus  learning 
with  amazement  that  the  saucy  rogue  was  none  other 
than  his  own  adventurous  son,  Levko  calmly  handed 
to  him  the  sealed  document  placed  in  his  hands  by 
Pannochka,  and  the  clerk  was  bidden  to  read  it  aloud. 
To  the  astonishment  of  all,  including  Levko  himself, 
the  document  proved  to  be  an  official  letter  from  the 
Governor  of  the  district,  stating  that  as  the  Mayor 
had  behaved  himself  in  an  unseemly  fashion  of  la^^ 
he  must  straightway  make  amends  for  his  misd 
by  giving  consent  to  the  union  of  his  son,  Levko,  ..itu 
the  village  beauty,  Hanna.  The  Governor  further 
commanded  that  the  marriage  should  take  place  at 
once,  and  that  he  expected  to  find  that  his  order  had 
been  carried  out  upon  his  next  visit  to  the  village, 
which  Levko  now  added  was  to  be  the  following 
evening,  declaring  mendaciously  that  he  had  just  met 


A  NIGHT  IN  MAY  117 

a  special  messenger  who  had  given  him  the  news  ;  and 
the  young  man  advised  his  father  to  prepare  feasts 
accordingly. 

Although  angry  and  deeply  mortified,  the  Mayor 
did  not  dare  to  disobey  the  command  contained  in 
this  document  which  bore  the  official  seal  and  signa- 
ture of  the  tyrannical  Governor  ;  and  the  consequence 
was  that  the  marriage  ceremony  of  Levko  and  Hanna 
took  place  next  morning,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  happy 
lovers  and  the  satisfaction  of  their  many  friends,  who 
all  came  to  take  part  in  the  festivities. 

To  Hanna  alone  did  Levko  reveal  the  true  origin  of 
the  lucky  document  that  had  secured  happiness  for 
them,  leading  the  Mayor  and  others  to  believe  that 
the  Governor's  own  messenger  had  indeed  handed  it 
to  him  ;  and,  full  of  joy,  not  unmingled  with  awe, 
the  bridal  pair  knelt  to  offer  up  thanksgiving  for  the 
miracle  that  had  been  wrought  on  their  behalf  and  to 
pray  together  for  the  soul  of  the  drowned  Pannochka. 


RIMSKY-KORSAKOV 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE 

One  summer  evening  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century  a  number  of  Hght-hearted  maidens 
were  playing  games  together  in  the  gardens  surround- 
ing the  mansion  of  Prince  Youry  Tokmakov,  the 
Tsar's  Viceroy  and  Governor  of  the  ancient  city  of 
Pskov,  and  the  air  rang  with  the  music  of  their  fresh 
young  voices  and  resounded  with  their  happy  laughter 
as  they  flitted  hither  and  thither  in  the  merry  romp  of 
"  Catch  who  catch  can." 

These  lively  girls  were  the  guests  of  Princess  Olga, 
the  Viceroy's  fair  young  daughter,  who,  however,  had 
slipped  away  from  their  merry  ranks  and  was  now 
standing  a  Httle  to  one  side,  half  concealed  by  a 
clump  of  thick  bushes,  listening  eagerly  to  a  message 
brought  by  her  chief  friend  and  confidante,  Stesha, 
with  whom  she  shared  a  wonderful  secret.  For  the 
beautiful  Olga,  although  already  betrothed  against 
her  wish  to  the  Boyard  Matouta — an  elderly  suitor 
of  mean  disposition,  whom  she  disliked  and  despised 
— had  recently  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  handsome 
young  burgher,  by  name  Michael  Toucha,  between 
whom  and  herself  there  had  sprung  up  a  passionate 
love  and  to  whom  she  had  plighted  her  troth  in  secret. 
With  the  aid  of  her  friend,  Stesha,  who  acted  as 

H8 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  119 

messenger  and  go-between,  the  lovers  were  able  to 
meet  now  and  again  at  twilight  in  unfrequented  parts 
of  the  Viceregal  gardens  to  snatch  brief  moments  of 
bliss,  even  though  realising  only  too  well  that  the 
future  held  Httle  hope  for  the  consummation  of  their 
union.  Apart  from  the  fact  that  Michael  was  not 
of  noble  birth,  there  was  another  reason  why  he 
would  never  find  favour  in  the  eyes  of  Prince  Tok- 
makov.  The  young  man  was  also  a  revolutionary, 
and,  fired  by  a  patriotic  love  for  his  native  city  and 
the  freedom  and  rights  of  her  inhabitants,  his  soul 
rebelled  against  the  despotic  rule  under  which  she 
was  compelled  to  exist.  He  was  already  an  ardent 
leader  of  the  more  advanced  and  soaring  spirits 
among  the  community  who  sought  to  break  away  from 
the  tyranny  of  the  all-powerful  Tsar,  Ivan  the  Terrible, 
whose  stern  belief  in  the  invincibility  of  "  Divine 
Right  "  had  led  him  to  take  fearful  vengeance  on  all 
those  venturesome  souls  who  dared  to  defy  his  iron 
rule  in  order  to  secure  absolute  dominion  over  the  vast 
lands  he  held. 

The  message  now  brought  by  Stesha  to  her  friend 
was  to  the  effect  that  Michael  Toucha  intended  to 
visit  his  beloved  one  that  same  evening  and  might 
arrive  at  any  moment ;  and,  full  of  joy  that  she  was 
so  soon  to  feel  the  arms  of  her  lover  around  her, 
Olga  hurried  with  her  friend  to  rejoin  her  guests, 
whom  she  was  now  eager  to  get  safely  within  the  house. 
By  this  time,  the  young  ladies  had  tired  of  their 
romping  games  and  had  persuaded  one  of  the  old 


120  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

nurses  in  charge  of  the  party  to  tell  them  a  favourite 
story,  in  which  a  fierce  dragon  of  terrible  aspect 
played  an  important  part.  The  girls  were  so  deeply 
interested  in  this  exciting  tale  that  the  sudden  sound 
of  a  shrill  whistle  which  came  from  the  other  side 
of  the  bushes  startled  them  so  much  that  they  all 
fled  away  into  the  mansion  at  once,  followed  by  the 
grumbling  old  dames — to  the  intense  relief  of  Olga, 
who  knew  well  that  the  whistle  was  the  signal  of  her 
lover's  approach. 

The  new-comer  was,  indeed,  Michael  Toucha,  who 

stepped  forth  from  the  bushes  and  sat  on  the  fence 

beyond,  singing  softly  to  himself,  until  he  saw  the 

cloaked  form  of  the  Princess  Olga  slip  out  from  the 

house  and  trip  lightly  to  the  trysting-place,  when  he 

hastened  to  her  side.     After  their  first  happy  greetings 

were  over  Olga  was  quickly  plunged  into  grief  on 

learning  from  her  lover  that  he  had  come  to  bid  her 

farewell.     Realising   that    Prince   Tokmakov   would 

never  consent  to  wed  his  daughter  to  a  portionless 

suitor,  Michael  announced  that  he  was  resolved  to 

journey  to  the  borders  of  Siberia,  where  he  meant  to 

trade  in  furs  and  silver ;  and  then,  when  he  had  become 

quite  wealthy,  it  was  his  intention  to  return  and  to 

lay  his  riches  at  the  feet  of  the  Viceroy,  in  the  hope 

of  securing  his  favour  and  the  hand  of  the  beautiful 

Olga. 

As  he  concluded  the  recital  of  his  hopeful  plan  and 
begged  the  young  Princess  to  bestow  her  blessing  upon 
him  ere  he  departed,  Olga  flung  her  arms  around  his 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  121 

neck  and  tearfully  entreated  him  not  to  leave  her  nor 
to  risk  the  terrible  dangers  of  the  unknown  snow-clad 
land  of  Siberia  ;  and  she  declared  that,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  she  was  betrothed  to  the  Boyard  Matouta, 
she  would  now  reveal  to  her  father  the  secret  of  her 
passionate  love  for  Michael  and  entreat  him  to  consent 
to  their  union. 

Gently,  but  insistently,  her  lover  endeavoured  to 
set  aside  her  clinging  arms,  knowing  only  too  well  that 
her  entreaties  would  be  of  no  avail ;  but  the  more 
passionately  did  Olga  cling  to  him  and  announce  her 
resolve  never  to  be  parted  from  him. 

Darkness  had  now  fallen  ;  and  whilst  the  lovers 
were  still  engaged  in  earnest  discussion  of  the  future 
which  looked  so  gloomy  for  them,  comforting  one 
another  by  repeated  declarations  of  their  intense  love, 
they  were  startled  on  seeing  two  persons  approaching 
from  the  mansion.  To  their  alarm,  they  quickly  recog- 
nised these  as  the  Viceroy  and  the  Boyard  Matouta, 
who  sought  the  cool  evening  air  and  the  privacy  of 
the  gardens  as  they  spoke  together  on  urgent  personal 
matters.  With  a  hastily  whispered  farewell  the  lovers 
parted,  Michael  escaping  over  the  fence  and  vanishing 
into  the  darkness  beyond,  whilst  Olga  crouched  in 
the  bushes  close  by,  afraid  to  move  further  away  until 
the  nobles  had  retired.  Thus  the  young  girl  over- 
heard a  piece  of  news  not  intended  for  her  ears  and 
which  filled  her  with  an  additional  sorrow. 

At  first  the  two  nobles  discussed  matters  of  state, 
for  the  disturbing  news  had  just  been  received  that 


122   STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  Tsar  Ivan  had  wreaked  terrible  vengeance  upon 
the  neighbouring  city  of  Novgorod  because  the  sons 
of  the  freemen  and  burghers  there  had  rebelled  against 
his  rule,  fearful  massacres  having  been  ordered  by  the 
stern  tyrant,  whereby  the  innocent  had  suffered  with 
the  guilty  and  the  whole  town  was  filled  with  lamenta- 
tion. 

The  Viceroy  expressed  the  hopeful  view  that 
Pskov  was  not  likely  to  share  a  similar  fate,  as  he 
had  himself  discharged  his  duties  as  Viceroy  with 
unblamable  loyalty,  and  had  so  far  been  able  to  keep 
the  revolutionary  element  under  reasonable  control ; 
but  Matouta  was  full  of  fears  and  doubts,  declaring 
that  such  daring  spirits  as  the  young  malcontent, 
Toucha,  had  caused  much  disaffection  in  the  city,  so 
that  the  Iron  Tsar,  following  his  inflexible  resolve  to 
rule  as  an  absolute  autocrat,  might  well  cause  dire 
punishment  to  be  inflicted  upon  all  the  citizens  of 
Pskov  because  of  the  few  who  had  dared  to  resist  his 
power. 

So  full  of  fear  was  the  craven-hearted  Boyard  that 
he  trembled  at  every  sound,  even  at  the  rustling  of  a 
leaf ;  but  having  been  assured  by  his  host  that  there 
was  no  danger  of  their  conversation  being  overheard 
in  these  private  gardens  and  that  they  might  talk 
there  in  safety,  he  recovered  somewhat  and  began  to 
speak  of  his  betrothal  to  Olga,  expressing  the  desire 
that  their  marriage  might  soon  take  place.  The 
Viceroy,  however,  who  well  realised  that  the  young 
Princess    regarded    the    match    with    repugnance, 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  123 

desired,  for  her  sake,  to  put  off  its  consummation  a 
little  longer,  hoping  that  the  maiden  might  thus 
become  more  reconciled  ;  and  he  even  went  so  far  as 
to  endanger  the  Boyard's  withdrawal  from  the  con- 
tract altogether  by  confessing  to  him  that  Olga  was 
not,  as  supposed,  his  own  child,  but  was  the  daughter 
of  his  dead  wife's  sister.  Vera,  who  had  died  years 
ago  without  naming  the  father  of  her  child.  The 
little  one,  he  continued,  had  been  taken  into  his  own 
house  and  brought  up  as  his  daughter ;  but  though 
Vera's  faithful  old  nurse,  who  alone  knew  the  secret, 
still  served  and  cherished  the  fair  maiden,  Olga,  the 
mystery  of  her  true  parentage  had  never  been  revealed 
— beyond  the  fact  that  her  unknown  father  was  of  the 
highest  rank. 

The  concealed  Olga,  on  thus  learning  that  the 
Viceroy,  whom  she  loved  tenderly,  was  not  her  real 
father,  could  no  longer  keep  her  feelings  under  control, 
and  uttered  a  faint  cry  of  woe.  The  sound  was 
instantly  caught  by  the  Boyard  Matouta,  who  was 
about  to  hasten  in  the  direction  of  her  hiding-place 
when,  suddenly,  a  bell  pealed  forth  loudly  from  the 
neighbouring  Kremlin.  At  the  same  time  a  distant 
glow  appeared  in  the  sky  ;  and  realising  that  the  bell, 
which  now  pealed  on  unceasingly,  was  the  tocsin  to 
call  the  townsfolk  together,  and  that  the  beacon  fires 
had  also  been  Hghted  around  the  city  to  warn  the 
inhabitants  of  outlying  districts  of  coming  danger, 
the  Viceroy  hurried  his  now  terrified  guest  away  at 
once  and  proceeded  with  him  to  the  market-place  to 


124  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

address  the  people  already  gathering  there.  Thus  the 
unhappy  Olga  escaped  discovery  and  hastened  within 
doors  overcome  with  grief. 

At  the  sound  of  the  tocsin  the  townsfolk  had  come 
hurrying  forth  from  their  homes,  their  curiosity  being 
mingled  with  fear,  for  the  great  bell  was  only  rung  at 
long  intervals,  when  it  was  necessary  to  gather  the 
people  together  to  hear  the  announcement  of  important 
news  or  proclamations,  or  in  times  of  great  danger. 
The  market-place,  which  was  already  brightly  illu- 
minated by  the  now  blazing  beacons,  quickly  filled,  and 
hasty  greetings  were  called  to  every  new  arrival  of 
note,  whilst  eager  questions  were  asked  on  all  sides 
as  to  the  reason  for  the  assembly.  Soon  it  was 
noticed  that  a  dust-covered,  travel-stained  messenger 
had  entered  the  square,  and  all  crowded  round  to 
hear  his  message  as  he  mounted  the  platform  for  the 
speakers. 

The  Viceroy,  accompanied  by  the  Boyards,  Judges 
and  all  persons  of  authority  in  the  city,  having  now 
arrived,  the  messenger  after  saluting  the  company 
announced  that  he  had  brought  a  greeting  to  Pskov 
from  her  fair  sister  city,  Novgorod,  which  lay  in 
smoking  ruins,  whilst  her  few  remaining  inhabitants 
filled  the  deserted  streets  with  lamentations.  He 
went  on  to  describe  how  the  mighty  Tsar,  Ivan  the 
Terrible,  had  come  with  his  savage  soldiery,  the 
Oprichniki,  and  had  ordered  a  massacre  of  the  people 
and  a  sack  of  the  city  because  of  a  rebellious  faction 
there  which  had  had  the  audacity  to  resist  his  laws, 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  125 

and  how,  in  consequence,  hosts  of  innocent  persons — 
men,  women  and  children — had  been  slain  to  satisfy 
the  vengeance  of  the  tyrant,  who  was  now  marching 
on  Pskov  and  might  arrive  at  daybreak. 

As  the  people  heard  this  terrible  news  loud  cries 
rent  the  air,  for  they  were  full  of  fear  lest  the  same 
fate  might  befall  them  as  had  laid  low  their  sister 
city,  Novgorod  ;   but  soon  they  were  somewhat  com- 
forted by  the  calm  demeanour  of  the  Viceroy,  who  next 
addressed    them.     Prince   Tokmakov   reminded    the 
frightened  people  that  they  had  done  no  wrong  and 
that  so  long  as  they  showed  themselves  loyal  and 
obedient  to  the  mighty  Tsar,  their  ruler,  and  sought 
his  royal  favour,  they  were  not  likely  to  meet  with  the 
sad  fate  of  Novgorod,  where  sedition  had  been  rife. 
He  then  bade  them  cease  from  moaning  and  hasten 
to  bake  loaves  of  fine  meal,  to  prepare  mead  and  to 
set  forth  in  the  streets  bread  and  salt  as  the  symbols  of 
welcome  against  the  arrival  of  their  exalted  guest, 
whom  he  counselled  them  to  greet  with  deep  humility 
and  to  implore  that  he  would  show  clemency  towards 
them.     He  next   informed  his  white-faced  listeners 
that  the  Tsar  was  also  passing  through  their  city  on 
his  way  to  pray  at  the  shrines  of  local  saints,  which 
fact  they  might  take  as  a  favourable  sign  that  he  was 
coming  in  peace,  and  that  it  would  be  foolish,  there- 
fore, to  attempt  to  arm  themselves  or  to  make  any 
show  of  resistance,  which  would  only  bring  upon  them 
the  anger  of  their  powerful  ruler. 

The  words  of  the  Viceroy — whom  they  loved  and 


126  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

revered — brought  back  hope  to  the  hearts  of  the 
majority  of  the  people ;  but  another  section  of  the 
crowd  called  upon  their  favourite,  Michael  Toucha, 
who  was  also  present,  to  speak,  the  young  revolu- 
tionary having  kept  ominous  silence  throughout  the 
foregoing  speech,  his  set  face  and  impatient  gestures 
having  revealed  to  them  that  the  advice  of  Prince 
Tokmakov  was  not  to  his  liking. 

Michael  needed  no  second  bidding  to  speak  out  his 
mind,  and,  mounting  to  the  platform,  he  made  a 
speech  full  of  fire,  repudiating  with  scorn  the  idea  that 
the  people  should  humble  themselves  before  their 
tyrant  ruler,  declaring  that  as  they  had  done  no  wrong 
they  neither  deserved  punishment  nor  needed  to 
crave  for  mercy.  He  boldly  called  upon  his  followers 
and  all  others  who  were  of  his  way  of  thinking  to 
refuse  to  pay  homage  to  one  who  respected  not  their 
rights,  but,  instead,  to  arm  themselves  and  march  out 
of  the  city  now  with  him,  to  dwell  in  freedom  as  out- 
laws rather  than  lose  their  self-respect  by  abasing 
themselves  before  the  terrible  Tsar,  and  to  seek  some 
means  of  striking  a  decisive  blow  for  their  rights  and 
for  the  liberty  of  Pskov,  their  beloved  city. 

This  inflammatory  speech  quickly  caught  the  vivid 
imaginations  of  the  younger  and  more  revolutionary 
members  of  the  assembly,  so  that  a  considerable 
number  of  bold  and  reckless  young  men  immediately 
went  over  to  the  side  of  Toucha,  whom  they  had 
always  recognised  as  their  leader ;  and  refusing  to 
be  guided  by  the  more  sober  counsels  of  the  Viceroy, 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  127 

the  rebel  band  marched  out  of  the  city  singing  their 
songs  of  freedom  as  they  went. 

The  rest  of  the  community,  however,  followed  out 
the  instructions  of  Prince  Tokmakov,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  the  night  baking  loaves  and  brewing 
strong  mead.  At  daybreak  they  began  to  set  out 
tables  in  the  streets,  upon  which  they  placed  bread  and 
salt  as  the  symbols  of  hospitality  and  welcome  ;  and 
they  brought  forth  their  banners  and  their  icons  and 
crosses  to  carry  in  procession  as  the  Tsar  entered 
the  city,  that  he  might  be  pleased  with  his  recep- 
tion and  that  his  anger  might  be  turned  away  from 
them. 

Whilst  these  hasty  preparations  were  taking  place 
in  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  the  Princess  Olga 
appeared  on  the  balcony  of  the  Viceregal  mansion, 
attended  by  her  faithful  old  nurse  who,  quickly 
observing  the  unhappy  looks  of  her  young  charge, 
begged  for  her  confidence  in  this  evident  trouble. 
Olga,  with  many  bitter  tears,  related  to  the  old  dame 
the  story  contained  in  the  conversation  she  had  over- 
heard the  previous  evening  between  the  Viceroy  and 
the  Boyard  Matouta,  bemoaning  her  sad  fate  as  an 
orphan  and  expressing  her  grief  because  of  the  mis- 
fortunes that  were  falling  upon  her.  Then,  somewhat 
comforted  by  the  kindly  sympathy  of  her  nurse,  she 
dried  her  eyes  once  more  and  expressed  the  hope  that 
her  troubles  might  be  set  aright  upon  the  arrival  of 
the  great  Tsar  Ivan,  for  whom  she  had  an  unaccount- 
ably sacred  affection  and  respect  and  had  always 


128  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

cherished  an  intense  longing  to  see  him  in  the  flesh, 
having,  from  her  earhest  childhood,  been  taught  to 
regard  him  as  second  only  to  her  Divine  Father. 

Even  as  Olga  and  her  old  nurse  spoke  together  the 
great  square  in  front  of  the  mansion  became  crowded 
with  a  host  of  excited  people,  whilst  the  simultaneous 
pealing  of  all  the  bells  in  the  city  and  the  sound  of 
loud  acclamations  from  the  adjoining  streets  heralded 
the  approach  of  the  dreaded  tyrant ;  and  as  the  noise 
of  the  tumult  drew  nearer,  the  people  fell  upon  their 
knees,  bowing  their  heads  to  the  ground  in  sign  of 
their  deep  humility  and  reverence. 

First  came  a  procession  of  fierce  Tartar  warriors  clad 
in  full  battle  array,  followed  by  the  celebrated  Oprich- 
niki  Guards,  resplendent  in  their  rich  trappings  and 
awe-inspiring  of  aspect ;  and  then,  mounted  upon  a 
fiery  steed,  the  mighty  Tsar,  Ivan  the  Terrible, 
appeared  in  the  square — a  man  of  noble  beauty  and 
regal  bearing,  who  gazed  proudly  upon  the  kneeling 
populace  thus  humbly  greeting  him  and  pleading  that 
he  would  show  mercy  upon  them. 

With  calm  dignity  the  Viceroy  approached  the 
silent  sovereign  and  bade  him  welcome  to  the  city  of 
Pskov  ;  and  the  Tsar,  pleased  with  his  reception, 
graciously  desired  his  representative  to  lead  the  way 
into  the  Viceregal  palace,  where  he  wished  to  partake 
of  refreshment. 

When  the  party  had  taken  their  places  within  the 
handsome  reception  rooms  of  the  Viceregal  mansion, 
Prince  Tokmakov  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  the 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  129 

exalted  guest  and  the  trembling  Matouta  upon  his 
left  with  the  other  Boyards  grouped  around,  the  Tsar 
commanded  that  a  goblet  of  mead  should  be  presented 
to  him  by  the  mistress  of  the  house.  The  Viceroy 
explained  that  his  wife  had  long  since  been  dead, 
but  that  his  daughter  would  be  honoured  to  wait  upon 
her  sovereign,  for  whom  she  had  ever  had  the  greatest 
respect  and  affection  ;  whereupon  Olga  entered  the 
room  with  eager  yet  trembling  steps  and  deeply 
bowed  head,  and,  kneeling,  presented  the  goblet  of 
mead  to  the  royal  guest.  She  was  followed  by  her 
friend,  Stesha,  and  a  bevy  of  other  fair  maidens 
bearing  salvers  of  the  choicest  sweetmeats  and  rarest 
foods  the  city  could  produce. 

As  Olga  approached  him  the  sternness  of  the  Tsar's 
features  relaxed  and  he  greeted  her  gently  and  in- 
quired her  name,  afterwards  addressing  her  in  a 
caressing  manner  by  the  pet-name  "  Olenka,"  and 
bidding  her  to  greet  him  with  a  kiss — the  privilege  of  a 
welcome  guest.  When  the  maiden  looked  up  with  a 
startled  glance  he  stepped  back  suddenly  and  gazed 
into  her  beautiful  face  with  amazement,  as  a  host  of 
tender  recollections  rushed  upon  him — for  Olga  was 
the  exact  Hving  image  of  a  fair  girl  whom  he  had 
loved  with  all  the  strength  of  a  passionate  nature  many 
years  ago  in  the  romantic  days  of  his  early  manhood, 
when  the  call  of  youth  meant  more  to  him  than  the 
powers  of  kingship  and  when  love  was  the  only 
thing  that  mattered. 

Olga,  on  her  part,  gazed  affectionately,  yet  timidly. 


130  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

at  the  Tsar,  whom  she  had  reverenced  from  her  earhest 
days  ;  and  she  repHed  modestly  that  it  was  too  great 
an  honour  for  a  humble  maiden  thus  to  salute  her 
sovereign.  The  transformed  Ivan,  however,  still 
smiled  upon  her  and  took  off  a  handsome  ring,  which 
he  slipped  upon  Olga's  finger,  at  the  same  time  stoop- 
ing to  kiss  her  reverently  and  gently,  for  a  strange 
emotion  thrilled  him ;  then,  recovering  himself 
somewhat,  he  greeted  the  other  girls  and  bade  them 
sing  to  him. 

His  eyes,  however,  never  left  the  sweet  face  of 
Olga,  whom  he  kept  by  his  side  and  continued  to 
caress ;  and  when,  presently,  she  retired  with  her 
friends,  he  dismissed  his  own  attendants  also  and  bade 
the  Viceroy  remain  awhile  with  him  alone.  He  then 
eagerly  demanded  of  his  host :  "  From  what  family 
did  you  take  your  wife.  Prince  ?  This  fair  maid, 
Olga,  is  the  living  image  of  one  I  loved  long  years 
ago  !  " 

Prince  Tokmakov  replied  that  he  had  wedded  a 
lady  of  the  noble  house  of  Nassonov,  at  which  name 
the  Tsar  appeared  violently  agitated  ;  and  then,  too 
proud  to  deceive  his  sovereign,  he  told  him  simply 
that  although  he  had  wedded  Nadejda,  the  elder 
daughter  of  that  house,  Olga  was  not  her  child,  but 
was  the  daughter  of  her  erring  sister.  Vera,  the  name 
of  whose  unknown  lover  had  never  been  revealed. 
With  feelings  of  the  deepest  emotion  the  Tsar  now 
realised  that  the  fair  maiden  to  whom  he  had  felt 
himself  so   strangely   drawn  was,   indeed,   his   own 


The  Tsar  Realises  that  Olga  is  his  Daughter 

(Chaliapin  as  Ivan  the  Terrible.) 


or*      u    >       k 
-      c      c     «    •  c      ,       c 

«         e    c       »      r  ► 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  131 

daughter — the  child  of  the  beautiful  Vera  Nassonov, 
whom  he  had  loved  so  passionately  in  the  golden 
days  of  his  youth  and  who  had  gladly  shared  with  him 
in  secret  for  a  brief  spell  the  magic  bliss  of  a  stolen 
joy,  which  her  own  equally  passionate  nature  made 
her  powerless  to  resist.  Bowing  his  head  humbly 
before  this  realisation  of  the  inscrutable  workings 
of  the  Divine  Father,  the  chastened  Ivan  registered 
a  vow  then  and  there  to  make  an  end  to  war  and  blood- 
shed, and  declared  devoutly  :  "  God  is  the  Protector 
of  the  City  of  Pskov  and  her  people  may  rest  in 
peace  !  " 

Great  rejoicings  were  now  held  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Pskov  when  it  became  known  that  Ivan  the  Terrible 
had  no  evil  intentions  towards  them,  but  had  only 
fatherly  blessings  to  bestow  upon  all ;  and  for  a 
short  time  the  softened  Tsar  remained  in  the  district, 
engaged  in  hunting  and  other  peaceful  pastimes. 
Then  he  determined  to  carry  out  his  original  intention 
of  visiting  the  local  shrines  and  set  forth  for  the 
Monastery  of  Pechersk,  where  a  number  of  pilgrims 
also  went  out  from  Pskov  at  the  same  time  to  return 
thanks  to  the  saints  for  preserving  their  city  ;  and 
whilst  his  tent  was  pitched  upon  the  banks  of  the 
RiverMiededna,  ashe  journeyed  thither,  he  had  another 
and  unexpected  meeting  with  Olga — a  meeting  that 
was  destined  to  end  in  tragedy. 

When  the  chief  inhabitants  of  Pskov,  following  the 
example  set  them  by  the  Tsar,  set  forth  to  visit  the 
Monastery  of  Pechersk  and  to  worship  at  the  shrines 


132  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

of  the  local  saints,  there  came  with  the  pilgrims, 
attended  by  their  nurses,  a  party  of  young  girls, 
among  whom  was  Olga,  still  regarded  by  her  friends 
as  the  daughter  of  the  great  Prince  Tokmakov. 
Olga's  object,  however,  was  not  only  a  religious  one. 
She  had  received  tidings  again  of  Michael  Toucha, 
who  had  contrived  to  send  her  a  message,  asking  her 
to  meet  him  in  the  forest  during  her  journey  to  the 
Monastery,  and  the  young  girl's  sad  heart  had  been 
filled  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  her  outlaw 
lover  once  more.  The  consequence  was  that  as  the 
girl  pilgrims  journeyed  through  the  forest,  singing 
as  they  went,  Olga  managed  to  slip  away  unnoticed 
from  the  rest  of  the  party  and  made  her  way  to  the 
place  of  tryst  chosen  by  Michael — a  lonely  spot  at 
some  distance  from  the  more  frequented  paths.  It 
was  late  in  the  evening  and  darkness  had  already 
fallen — for  the  party  had  been  delayed  on  the  way 
by  a  thunderstorm  and  had  been  compelled  to  take 
shelter  from  the  rain — and  Olga  trembled  with  fear 
at  finding  herself  alone  in  the  darkness  surrounded 
by  all  the  terrors  of  the  forest.  ( 

She  had  not  long  to  wait,  however,  before  she  was 
joined  by  Michael  Toucha,  and  the  lovers  quickly 
clasped  one  another  in  a  glad  embrace,  forgetting  their 
troubles  for  the  moment  in  the  intense  joy  of  meeting. 
Then,  a  little  later,  they  began  to  talk  of  their  future, 
and  Olga  told  her  lover  that  no  one  could  now  keep 
them  apart,  since  she  also  was  an  outlaw.  She  then 
related  to  him  how  she  had  learned  that  she  was  not 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  133 

the  daughter  of  Prince  Tokmakov,  so  that,  not  know- 
ing her  paternal  parentage,  she  was  thus  free  to  wed 
with  a  burgher ;  and  again  the  now  happy  pair 
rejoiced  in  the  seemingly  rosy  prospect  before  them, 
Michael  declaring  that  they  would  go  away  together 
and  make  their  home  on  the  far  distant  banks  of  the 
Volga. 

But  fate  was  against  the  union  of  Michael  and  Olga, 
and  their  fair  castle  in  the  air  was  soon  dashed  to 
pieces.  Even  as  they  spoke  thus  happily  together  a 
gang  of  armed  men  suddenly  sprang  out  from  the 
neighbouring  bushes  and  set  upon  them.  Michael 
endeavoured  to  protect  his  beloved  one ;  but  he  was 
quickly  dragged  from  her  side  and  flung  to  the  ground, 
insensible.  At  the  same  time  a  cloak  was  thrown 
over  Olga's  head  and  she  was  lifted  up,  half-fainting, 
and  carried  away  through  the  forest. 

This  outrage  had  been  carried  out  by  order  of  the 
Boyard  Matouta,  who,  having  learnt  by  means  of 
the  spies  he  employed  that  the  young  Princess  had 
arranged  to  meet  her  outlaw  lover  in  the  forest,  had 
determined,  in  revenge  for  her  unfavourable  reception 
of  his  own  suit  and  for  the  Viceroy's  contempt  for 
the  craven  spirit  he  had  shown  at  the  time  of  the 
Tsar's  arrival  in  Pskov,  to  use  the  circumstance  as  a 
means  of  disgracing  her  in  the  eyes  of  the  terrible 
Ivan — Httle  dreaming  that  the  latter  was  the  unknown 
father  of  the  girl. 

Therefore  he  bade  his  men  carry  the  captive  to  the 
rocky  banks  of  the  River  Miededna  where  the  Tsar's 

K 


134  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

tent  had  been  pitched  not  far  from  the  Monastery  of 
Pechersk ;  and  here,  in  a  few  hours'  time,  the  party 
arrived,  and  Matouta  insolently  demanded  admittance 
of  the  royal  pilgrim's  chief  attendant,  Prince  Viazem- 
sky. 

Within  the  tent  the  Tsar  Ivan  sat  alone  at  a  table 
reading  certain  documents  spread  out  before  him,  but 
stopping  every  now  and  again  to  gaze  fixedly  in  front 
of  him  and  to  lose  himself  in  deep  reflection.  The 
tent  had  rich  appurtenances,  such  as  became  its  royal 
occupier.  Splendid  furs  were  spread  upon  the  ground 
and  over  the  seats,  the  table  was  covered  with  cloth 
of  gold  and  bore  silver  candlesticks,  and  heavy  curtains 
of  gorgeous  Eastern  handicraft  had  been  hung  before 
the  tent  opening. 

So  deeply  engrossed  was  the  Tsar  in  his  reflections 
that  he  resented  the  sudden  entrance  of  his  Chief 
Counsellor,  Prince  Viazemsky,  with  the  request  that 
the  Boyard  Matouta  desired  an  interview,  having 
brought  with  him  a  fair  maiden  whom  he  had  snatched 
from  the  arms  of  a  rebel  lover  in  the  forest ;  but  on 
learning  that  the  captive  was  none  other  than  the 
beautiful  Princess  Olga,  the  startled  and  now  angry 
Ivan  commanded  the  Boyard  to  enter  and  sternly 
bade  him  explain  why  he  had  brought  the  girl  thither 
and  at  such  a  late  hour. 

The  craven  Matouta,  trembling  with  fear  now  that 
he  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  the  powerful 
tyrant,  declared  that  although  the  young  Princess 
Olga  had  set  forth  from  her  home  ostensibly  with  the 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  135 

object  of  praying  at  the  local  shrines,  she  had  managed 
to  escape  from  her  companions  in  order  to  meet  her 
burgher  lover,  Michael  Toucha,  a  dangerous  rebel 
from  whose  polluting  touch  he,  Matouta,  had  arrived 
just  in  time  to  snatch  her  away  ;  but  Ivan,  furious 
at  the  Boyard's  covertly  insulting  accusation  against 
the  fair  girl  in  whom  he  himself  was  so  intensely 
interested,  with  scornful  anger  dismissed  him  from  his 
presence. 

He  then  sent  for  Olga,  who  entered  weeping  and 
flung  herself  at  his  feet,  imploring  his  pardon  and  pro- 
tection. The  unhappy  girl  confessed  her  love  for 
Michael  and  admitted  that  she  had  indeed  gone  to 
keep  tryst  with  him  that  evening  when  she  had  been 
so  roughly  taken  captive  by  order  of  the  hated  and 
despicable  Matouta. 

At  first  the  Tsar  listened  to  her  explanations  with 
cold  displeasure,  sternly  reprimanding  her  for  for- 
saking her  pilgrimage  in  order  to  meet  her  lover,  and 
declaring  harshly  that  she  must  now  travel  with  the 
royal  party  to  Moscow  and  choose  a  husband  from 
among  the  nobles  there.  He  added  that  the  young 
man,  Toucha,  should  be  sent  in  chains  to  prison  ;  but 
Olga's  tears  and  distress  quickly  broke  down  his  harsh 
resolutions.  With  passionate  words  of  entreaty  the 
grief-stricken  girl  implored  the  Emperor  to  have 
mercy  upon  her  ;  and  she  went  on  to  declare  that, 
so  far  from  believing  her  listener  to  be  only  a  cruel 
tyrant,  she  regarded  him  as  a  loving  and  gracious 
father  of  the  people,  who  would  protect  and  care  for 


136  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

her  as  her  own  unknown  father  would  have  done. 
She  added  that  as  a  httle  child  she  had  been  taught  to 
pray  for  him  night  and  morning  as  her  "  father,  the 
mighty  Tsar  Ivan,"  and  that  in  her  dreams  he  had 
visited  her  always  with  a  gracious  and  benevolent 
aspect  as  though  he  indeed  loved  her  as  a  father. 

On  hearing  this  impulsive  outburst  and  realising 
the  undoubted  sincerity  of  the  maiden's  words,  the 
Tsar  was  deeply  moved  and  now  spoke  tenderly  to 
her,  bidding  her  to  dry  her  tears  and  have  no  fear 
that  he  would  deal  harshly  with  her ;  and  he  was 
almost  on  the  point  of  revealing  himself  to  her  as  her 
true  father  whom  she  had  seen  in  her  dreams  and  for 
whom  she  had  prayed,  when  there  came  the  ominous 
sounds  of  a  disturbance  taking  place  outside  the  tent, 
and  the  voice  of  Michael  Toucha  was  heard  demanding 
that  Olga  Tokmakov  should  be  given  up  to  him. 

The  young  rebel  had  soon  recovered  consciousness 
after  Olga  had  been  abducted  by  Matouta's  men  ;  and 
quickly  calling  his  own  outlaw  friends  to  his  aid,  he 
had  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  ravishers.  A  few 
hours  later,  learning  that  his  beloved  one  was  in  the 
tent  of  the  tyrant  Tsar,  he  determined  to  rescue  her  at 
all  costs.  The  rebel  band  was  instantly  engaged  in  a 
hot  encounter  with  the  guards,  who  imagined  that  the 
outlaws  were  about  to  make  an  attempt  on  the  life 
of  their  royal  master  ;  and  Olga,  hearing  her  name 
passionately  called  in  agonising  tones  by  her  lover, 
tore  herself  from  the  grasp  of  the  Tsar — who  vainly 
tried  to  restrain  her — and  rushed  outside  into  the 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  137 

midst  of  the  fight  which  was  taking  place  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  into  which  Toucha  and  his  adherents 
had  now  been  driven  and  were  already  swimming 
across  to  a  place  of  temporary  safety  before  making 
a  second  attempt  to  rescue  the  captive. 

As  the  distracted  Olga  broke  away  from  his  grasp 
and  fled  outside,  the  Tsar  heard  almost  immediately 
afterwards  the  sound  of  a  shot;  and  next  moment,  the 
unhappy  girl's  dead  body  was  brought  back  into  the 
tent  and  laid  at  his  feet — and  Ivan  the  Terrible  who, 
by  his  tyrannies,  had  brought  woe  and  despair  upon 
thousands  of  wretched  parents,  himself  now  felt  the 
poignant  anguish  of  a  loving  father  bereft  of  his  child, 
and  as  he  knelt  beside  the  corpse  of  the  fair  daughter 
he  had  found  and  lost  within  so  short  a  space  of  time, 
he  humbly  bowed  his  head  beneath  the  chastening 
hand  of  a  just  God. 


RIMSKl'-KORSAKOV 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI 

The  famous  Italian  Kapellmeister,  Salieri,  sat  alone, 
buried  in  deep  reflection,  in  the  music-room  of  his 
fine  house  in  Vienna  one  day  during  the  year  1792. 
Despite  the  fact  that  the  warm  sunshine  of  fame  and 
good  favour  now  shone  brightly  upon  him  after  many 
years  of  hard  struggling  through  the  gloomy  clouds 
of  stupendous  labour,  disappointment,  and  con- 
tinuous perseverance,  his  thoughts  were  not  pleasant 
ones.  Although  he  had  attained  to  so  high  a  position 
in  the  world  of  music,  and  now  lived  in  comfort  and 
honour  secured  after  y^dixs  of  toil  spent  in  the  pursuit 
of  his  well-beloved  art,  happiness  and  peace  of  mind 
were  not  his.  For  he,  whose  talent  was  greatly 
admired,  who  had  thought  himself  so  secure  in  his 
fame  as  the  premier  musician  of  his  day  that  he  could 
even  afford  to  smile  indulgently  upon  other  struggling 
aspirants  and  to  hear  them  spoken  of  without  envy, 
was  now  plunged  into  the  black  abyss  of  jealousy  by 
the  advent  of  a  rival  in  the  wonderful  musician  and 
composer,  Mozart,  who  possessed  the  heavenly  gift 
of  music  genius — and  genius  is  to  talent  what  a 
planet  is  to  a  twinkling  star. 

Yet,  this  same  Mozart  had  not  his,  Salieri's,  com- 
fortable and  honourable  position,  but  was  poor — and 

138 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI  139 

never  likely  to  be  otherwise,  since  he  had  no  idea  of 
the  value  of  money,  but  lived,  like  all  real  bohemians, 
from  hand  to  mouth.  True,  he  had  not  the  Italian 
Kapellmeister's  strength  of  mind  and  determina- 
tion of  character  to  struggle  against  the  difficulties 
and  obstacles  in  his  path ;  but  then  he  did  not 
need  to  wear  himself  out  by  endless  toil  and  laborious 
effort  in  order  to  produce  the  divine  harmonies  with 
which  his  imaginative  brain  teemed.  For  genius  is  a 
thing  that  cannot  be  attained  merely  by  the  will  of 
man,  but  is,  like  physical  beauty,  the  blessed  gift  of 
God  ;  and  Salieri,  in  his  blind  jealousy,  railed  at  what 
he  regarded  as  Divine  injustice  in  thus  indiscrimin- 
ately bestowing  this  same  immortal  gift  of  genius 
upon  certain  favoured  individuals  here  and  there, 
to  swamp  in  a  moment  the  loving  toil  of  lifelong 
devotion  to  Art  given  by  such  lovers  of  Art  as  himself, 
who  merely  possessed  talent. 

Mozart  lived  the  careless,  happy-go-lucky  life  of  a 
man  whose  every  action  is  the  outcome  of  impulse, 
and  to  whom  routine,  service,  and  discipline  were 
things  abhorred,  who  only  worked  when  he  felt  in- 
clined to  do  so,  and  whose  very  labour  might  almost 
be  called  a  pastime,  since  he  composed  without  any 
apparent  effort  at  all  the  marvellous  harmonies 
which  poured  forth  from  his  brain  in  such  rich  profu- 
sion. 

Of  what  use,  then,  was  it  for  such  an  artist  as 
Salieri — highly  talented  and  sound  musician  though 
he  knew  himself  to  be — to  spend  months  and  even 


140  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

years  producing  and  perfecting  a  composition, 
admired  though  it  might  afterwards  be,  when  the 
careless,  but  heaven-gifted  Mozart,  the  genius,  could 
sit  down  and  pour  forth  in  a  few  hours  a  perfect 
flood  of  divine  melody,  such  as  he — the  merely  talented 
Salieri — could  never  hope  to  equal  in  a  lifetime  of 
laborious  work. 

While  Salieri  was  thus  indulging  in  morbidly  jealous 
reflections  about  his  mighty  rival  and  railing  because 
the  chance  gifts  of  an  inscrutable  Providence  should 
ever  and  anon  light  upon — in  his  opinion — some 
undeserving,  idle  trifler  and  so  cause  him  to  wear  the 
evergreen  crown  of  immortal  glory,  passing  by  the 
industrious  and  serious  devotee  of  Art,  Mozart  him- 
self entered  the  room  unceremoniously.  For  Salieri, 
notwithstanding  his  envy,  received  his  rival  on  a 
friendly  footing,  being,  despite  himself,  as  attracted 
by  the  latter's  irresistible  charm  and  personality  as 
by  his  genius — and  to  listen  to  the  music  of  Mozart, 
played  by  the  composer  himself,  was  to  forget  one's 
earthly  surroundings  and  to  pass  for  the  moment 
within  the  portals  of  Paradise. 

An  illustration  of  this  unwilling  but  irresistible 
admiration  and  homage  to  genius — undreamt  of  by 
the  modest  recipient,  who  was  himself  strangely 
unsusceptible  to  flattery  and  adulation — was  quickly 
forthcoming.  Mozart,  gay,  careless,  debonair  and 
still  3^oung  enough  to  appreciate  the  mere  joy  of 
living,  entered  the  room  with  a  brisk  step  and  fair 
greeting,  laughing  light-heartedly  as  though  at  some 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI  141 

merry  jest.  When  Salieri,  after  a  somewhat  strained 
return  of  greetings,  inquired  the  cause  of  his  amuse- 
ment, the  harum-scarum  musician  repHed  with  another 
burst  of  laughter  that  on  his  way  thither,  on  passing 
the  open  door  of  a  tavern,  he  had  heard  an  old  blind 
fiddler  playing  an  air  of  his  own — Mozart's — and 
making  such  a  comical  travesty  of  it  that  he  had 
bribed  him  to  come  along  with  him  at  once  and  repeat 
the  performance  that  Salieri  might  also  be  enter- 
tained thereby. 

He  thereupon  called  into  the  room  the  decrepit  old 
blind  musician  he  had  spoken  of,  bidding  him  play  the 
same  composition  he  had  just  heard  him  perform  in 
the  tavern  ;  and  the  old  man  willingly  enough  took 
up  his  fiddle  and  played  one  of  the  graceful  airs  from 
"  Don  Giovanni  "  so  execrably  that  Salieri,  despite 
his  envy  of  his  rival,  angrily  bade  him  depart  and 
play  no  more,  declaring  that  it  hurt  him  as  much  to 
hear  such  exquisite  music  thus  murdered  as  it  would 
to  see  Raphael's  beautiful  "  Madonna  "  bedaubed  by 
some  novice,  or  to  read  the  inspired  lines  of  Dante 
with  the  impudent  additions  of  some  wretched 
rhymster. 

Mozart,  however,  still  laughing,  gave  the  fiddler  a 
coin — which  he  could  ill  spare,  money  being  ever 
scarce  with  him — and  after  dismissing  the  old  man 
told  Salieri  that  he  had  come  to  ask  his  opinion  upon 
some  musical  themes  that  had  been  worrying  him 
insistently  all  morning,  until  he  had,  at  last,  in  self- 
defence,  scribbled  them  down.     He  added,  casually, 


142  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

that  he  would  come  another  time,  if  more  opportune, 
observing  that  SaUeri  did  not  seem  to  be  in  a  favour- 
able mood  ;  but  the  jealous  Italian,  who,  though 
filled  with  fresh  envy  on  thus  hearing  of  this  new 
composition  so  obviously  inspired,  could  never  resist 
the  personality  of  the  careless,  happy-go-lucky  Mozart, 
nor  the  intense  joy  of  listening  to  his  enthralling 
music,  invited  him  to  remain  and  to  let  him  hear  the 
melody. 

Mozart  thereupon  went  to  the  piano  and  after 
describing  the  subject  of  his  composition  in  a  whimsical 
fashion — a  youth  in  love  with  some  fair  lady,  both 
very  happy,  when,  suddenly,  a  dark  cloud  of  gloom  and 
mystery  envelops  them — his  fingers  strayed  over  the 
keys  and  a  flood  of  exquisite  melody  filled  the  room. 

Salieri,  in  spite  of  the  gnawing  envy  tearing  at  his 
heart,  was  completely  carried  out  of  himself,  and, 
overcome  by  spontaneous  admiration  and  delight, 
poured  forth  burning  words  of  praise.  At  the  same 
time  he  reproached  Mozart,  the  composer  of  such  a 
priceless  gem,  for  having  cared  to  stop  at  a  tavern  door 
to  hear  a  blind  beggar  murder  another  of  his  loveliest 
airs — a  proceeding  which  he,  Salieri,  greatly  depre- 
cated as  unworthy  of  an  artist,  being  undignified  and 
belittling. 

Mozart,  however,  who  never  could  be  persuaded  to 
take  himself  seriously,  and  was  as  modest  and  as 
simple  as  a  child — which  characteristics  naturally 
annoyed  the  self-important  and  flattery-loving 
Salieri,  who,  like  many  merely  talented  individuals 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI  143 

lacking  the  force  of  true  genius,  had  a  consider- 
able amount  of  vanity — expressed  wondering  sur- 
prise that  his  friend  should  be  so  deeply  impressed 
and  moved  by  what  was  to  himself  a  mere  trifle. 
Then,  merrily  declaring  that,  whether  a  genius  or 
not,  he  was  nevertheless  mightily  hungry,  he  made  as 
though  to  retire. 

Still  under  the  spell  of  the  wonderful  music  he  had 
just  listened  to,  Salieri  immediately  suggested  that 
they  should  dine  together  at  the  "  Golden  Lion," 
a  favourite  inn,  and  Mozart,  nothing  loth,  cheerfully 
accepted  the  invitation  and  said  that  he  would  meet 
him  again  at  the  inn  as  soon  as  he  had  been  home  to 
inform  his  wife  that  he  was  dining  out. 

When  his  prospective  guest  had  hurried  away  with  a 
merry  song  on  his  lips,  Salieri  quickly  fell  back  again 
into  his  morose  mood,  more  jealous  than  ever  of  his 
heaven-gifted  rival ;  and  he  realised  with  despair 
that  it  was  absolutely  hopeless  for  him — Salieri — 
or  any  other  devotee  of  musical  art  even  to  attempt 
to  reach  the  golden  heights  of  fame  while  Mozart,  the 
wizard  of  harmony,  still  lived  to  soar  ever  above 
them.  In  a  frantic  burst  of  envious  rage  he  called 
down  curses  upon  the  master  musician,  who  had  just 
held  his  heart  in  rapturous  thrall  when  playing  the 
simple  composition  that  had  come  to  him  as  direct 
inspiration  from  the  Divine  Bestower  of  genius  ;  and, 
in  his  blind  jealousy,  he  vowed  to  slay  him  that  day, 
that  he  might  no  longer  obstruct  his  own  path  to 
glory. 


144  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

In  feverish  haste  the  ItaUan  now  drew  forth  from 
a  secret  hiding-place  a  tiny  flask  containing  a  deadly 
poison  which  had  been-  given  him  eighteen  years 
ago  by  a  friend,  and  which  he  had  himself  been 
tempted  to  take  on  many  occasions  when  luck  had 
gone  against  him,  but  which  he  had  always  set  aside 
again  in  the  hope  of  a  rosier  dawn  to  come,  or  for  the 
silencing  later  on  of  some  deadly  foe  whose  machina- 
tions might  overcast  his  life. 

"  Such  a  foe  is  Mozart  !  "  he  now  cried,  passion- 
ately. "  He  blights  my  life  and  prospects,  even  while 
he  enraptures  me  !  The  contents  of  this  phial  shall 
bring  oblivion  to  him  this  day,  and  leave  me  alone  on 
the  path  of  fame  !  " 

Placing  the  fatal  flask  in  an  inner  pocket,  the  Italian 
Kapellmeister  sallied  forth  to  keep  his  appointment 
at  the  sign  of  the  "  Golden  Lion,"  where  Mozart  pre- 
sently joined  him ;  and  the  two  partook  of  dinner 
together. 

Salieri  was  excited  and  in  high  spirits  and  ordered 
the  best  foods  and  the  most  expensive  wines,  but 
Mozart,  on  the  other  hand,  seemed  strangely  de- 
pressed, having  suddenly  become  sad  and  silent,  so 
that  he  spoke  little  and  his  thoughts  seemed  far  away. 
When  Salieri  presently  rallied  him  on  the  subject  he 
admitted  his  abstraction,  saying  that  it  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  his  thoughts  were  engaged  with  the  com- 
position of  the  great  Requiem  Mass  he  had  quite 
recently  received  a  commission  for  under  strange  cir- 
cumstances, with  which  he  had  thought  all  his  friends 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI  145 

were  acquainted  ;  and  finding  that  his  host  had  not 
heard  of  it,  he  told  him  the  story  which  has  since  be- 
come so  famous,  and  which  was  as  follows  : 

A  mysterious  stranger — who  afterwards  turned  out 
to  be  a  rich  nobleman — had  called  at  his  house  twice 
during  his  absence  from  home,  and  had  been  so  eager 
to  see  him  that  he  had  actually  called  a  third  time, 
when  he  saw  and  commissioned  the  famous  musician 
to  write  for  him  a  Requiem  Mass  in  memory  of  his 
wife,  whom  he  had  loved  passionately  and  for  the 
loss  of  whom  he  was  clad  in  the  deepest  mourning ; 
and  Mozart  had  agreed  to  do  so,  and  had  at  once 
commenced  the  work,  to  which  he  had  grown  so  much 
attached  that  he  did  not  now  wish  to  part  with  it, 
but  hoped  that  the  mysterious  stranger  would  never 
appear  to  claim  it. 

Then,  as  Salieri  listened  to  this  tale  of  a  strange 
commission  with  increased  envy  still  gnawing  at  his 
heart,  Mozart  added  in  a  hesitating  tone  as  though 
somewhat  shy  of  confessing  to  superstition,  that  ever 
since  he  had  been  writing  this  work  he  had  fancied 
that  the  piece  would  be  his  own  Requiem,  that  the 
black-robed  stranger  seemed  to  be  dogging  his  steps 
wherever  he  went,  and  that  even  now  he  imagined  his 
shadow  to  be  seated  at  the  table  beside  him. 

Salieri,  though  he  shuddered  involuntarily,  rallied 
his  guest  upon  his  low  spirits  and  for  succumbing  to 
such  morbid  thoughts,  bidding  him  put  these  idle 
superstitious  fancies  away  from  him  ;  and  he  advised 
him,  when  he  felt  dull,  to  take  a  drink  of  good  wine 


146  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

and  to  read  the  lively  story  of  "  The  Marriage  of 
Figaro." 

This  chance  remark,  however,  brought  up  the  sub- 
ject of  Beaumarchais,  the  author  of  "  Figaro  "  ;  and 
Mozart  suddenly  asked  his  host  if  he  believed,  as  was 
popularly  supposed,  that  Beaumarchais  had  met  his 
death  by  poison.  To  this,  Salieri,  with  a  violent 
start,  replied  hastily  that  he  did  not  think  so,  as  that 
author  had  ever  been  of  particularly  lively  and  cheer- 
ful disposition,  not  likely  to  have  taken  his  own  life 
nor  to  have  had  enemies  who  might  wish  to  destroy 
him.  Mozart  agreed  with  him,  adding  that  Beau- 
marchais was  also  a  genius  and,  therefore,  not  likely 
to  commit  a  crime,  it  being  his — Mozart's — belief 
that  genius  and  crime  were  never  found  together. 

This  last  remark  sounded  unpleasantly  ominous 
in  the  ears  of  the  envious  Salieri,  who,  however, 
became  more  excited  in  his  manner  ;  and  filling  up 
both  their  glasses  to  overflowing,  he  bade  his  guest 
drink  with  him  again  and  again  to  each  other's  health 
and  to  their  lasting  friendship. 

Under  this  cloak  of  seeming  hilarity,  however,  the 
Italian  kept  a  keen  eye  upon  the  master  musician  ; 
and  when  the  latter's  glance  again  wandered  aside 
and  remained  fixed  as  though  his  thoughts  had  just 
strayed  into  unknown  regions  far  away,  he  stealthily 
produced  his  hidden  phial  and  poured  forth  the 
poison  into  the  other's  glass.  Then,  hardly  able  to 
conceal  his  agitation,  he  called  upon  his  companion 
to  drink  yet  once  again  ;   and  after  Mozart  had,  un- 


MOZART  AND  SALIERI  147 

suspectingly,  swallowed  the  poisoned  draught,  he 
filled  up  his  glass  again  with  fresh  wine  and  bade  him 
drink  still  more. 

But  Mozart  refused  to  drink  again,  and,  rising,  went 
over  to  the  open  piano  saying  he  would  play  to  him 
some  passages  from  his  "  Requiem." 

As  the  glorious  music,  so  perfectly  played  by  the 
master's  loving  touch,  filled  the  chamber,  Salieri 
once  more  fell  under  its  magic  spell,  and,  against  his 
will,  was  moved  to  such  sincere  and  irresistible  admira- 
tion that  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks  ;  and  when 
Mozart  stopped  for  a  moment,  astonished  that  his 
wonderful  harmonies  should  have  thus  moved  his 
host  to  tears,  the  latter  entreated  him  to  continue, 
declaring  that  his  tears,  though  bitter,  were  yet 
consoling. 

For  a  short  time  longer  the  magnificent  notes  of  the 
famous  Requiem  filled  the  room.  Then,  Mozart  rose, 
somewhat  unsteadily,  announcing  that  he  felt  suddenly 
unwell ;  and,  saying  that  he  would  go  to  his  home  to 
rest  for  awhile,  he  bade  farewell  to  his  host  and  retired. 

"  Yes,  rest,  Mozart,  but  from  that  sleep  there  will 
be  no  awakening  in  this  life  !  "  muttered  Salieri, 
as  his  rival  departed  ;  and  then,  a  horrible  thought 
came  into  the  murderer's  mind.  Suppose,  as  the 
master  musician  had  said,  that  "  crime  and  genius 
never  go  together  ?  "  If  that  were  the  case,  then  he, 
Salieri,  could  never  win  the  fame  of  a  genius,  even 
though  he  now  had  no  longer  a  rival  to  fear,  and  his 
dark  deed  had  thus  been  committed  in  vain  ! 


148  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Then  he  pulled  himself  together  and  endeavoured  to 
comfort  himself  with  the  reflection  that  he  had  heard 
it  whispered  among  the  common  folk  of  his  own 
country  that  the  great  master  sculptor,  Michael- 
angelo — of  whose  genius  there  had  never  been  any 
doubt — secretly  slew  the  man  who  designed  the 
Vatican. 

But  in  vain  he  sought  for  comfort,  and  he  now 
realised  with  the  anguish  of  a  stricken  conscience, 
that  for  ever  afterwards  there  would  ring  in  his 
memory  the  last  marvellous  harmonies  of  a  true  genius 
as  the  Requiem  for  the  death  of  his  own  peace  of 
mind.^ 

1  There  has  never  been  any  proof,  or  even  any  definite  suspicion 
that  Mozart  was  poisoned  by  Saheri,  or  that  he  met  his  death  by 
poisoning  at  all,  most  of  his  biographers  having  written  to  the  con- 
trary ;  but  the  fact  that  the  Italian  Kapellmeister  was  known  to  be 
inordinately  jealous  of  his  brilliant  contemporary  and  that  it  was  said 
by  some  of  his  friends  that  Mozart  himself  believed,  when  dying,  that 
he  had  been  poisoned,  gave  rise  to  the  suspicion  upon  which  Poushkin 
based  the  poem  from  which  the  libretto  of  this  opera  has  been  taken. 


RIMSKT-KORSAKOV 


THE  GOLDEN   COCKEREL 

The  mighty  and  famous  King  Dodon  sat  upon  a 
gorgeously  gilded  and  feather-bedecked  throne  in 
the  magnihcent  hall  of  his  palace,  surrounded  by  his 
courtiers  and  the  Boyards  or  lords  who  formed  his 
Council ;  and  over  all  the  brilliant  assemblage  there 
was  a  solemn  hush  and  an  air  of  anxious  expectancy. 

It  was  a  lovely  spring-time  day  and  bright  shafts  of 
sunshine  pierced  their  way  into  the  richly-gilded  hall 
between  the  thick  columns  of  a  balustrade  which  gave 
out  on  to  the  streets  of  the  capital  beyond,  where 
even  the  common  people  who  passed  by  spoke  only 
in  whispers  as  though  fearful  of  the  sound  of  their  own 
voices. 

Against  a  background  of  brocaded  hangings  and 
rich  carved  work  the  Boyards  were  seated  in  a  semi- 
circle— most  of  them  men  of  advanced  years  with 
venerable  beards  and  all  splendidly  attired ;  and  on 
either  side  of  the  throne  were  seated  the  King's  two 
sons,  the  handsome  young  Princes  Afron  and  Guidon, 
who  both  showed  clear  signs  of  youthful  impatience 
at  the  ceremonious  and  respectful  silence  of  the 
Counsellors,  and  awaited  with  scarcely  restrained 
eagerness  the  words  of  their  royal  father  who  seemed 
buried  in  anxious  thought. 

L 


150  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Well  might  King  Dodon  be  anxious  ;  for  though 
in  his  youth  and  prime  he  had  been  famed  as  a  re- 
doubtable monarch  who  was  always  ready  to  repel 
his  foes  and  did  not  even  hesitate  to  affront  his 
neighbours  for  the  sake  of  a  skirmish  which  should 
add  to  his  glory,  he  had  long  since  ceased  to  care  for 
warlike  pursuits  and  had  no  desire  to  engage  in  certain 
serious  conflicts  which  now  threatened  the  peace  of 
his  dominions. 

During  recent  years  the  once  active  king  had  lost  all 
interest  in  warfare  or  bold  pursuits  of  any  kind  and  had 
devoted  himself  to  a  life  of  indolence  and  luxurious 
ease ;  and,  following  the  example  of  their  monarch,  his 
people  also  had  ceased  to  care  for  the  profession  of 
arms,  and  even  the  young  men  had  given  themselves 
up  to  pleasure,  to  which  they  devoted  more  time  than 
they  gave  to  manly  exercises. 

The  rulers  of  neighbouring  countries  were  not  slow 
to  take  advantage  of  this  state  of  affairs  ;  and  now,  in 
his  advancing  years,  the  splendid  and  once  redoubt- 
able King  Dodon  was  threatened  by  invasion  on  every 
side  and  could  not  sleep  at  nights  for  fear  of  possible 
dangers  for  which  he  was  not  prepared.  In  great 
alarm  his  armies  had  been  gathered  together  and 
dispatched  to  the  borders,  but  still  the  King  could 
not  rest  in  peace,  knowing  not  when  the  danger  would 
draw  nearer  and  his  capital  and  even  his  own  sacred 
person  be  threatened. 

The  Boyards,  therefore,  were  called  to  meet  their 
monarch  in  the  Council,  together  with  the  two  young 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  151 

Princes,  each  of  whom  had  a  plan  to  suggest ;  and 
when  King  Dodon,  after  a  long  and  solemn  hush,  had 
at  last  broken  silence  and  placed  the  serious  position 
of  affairs  before  the  company,  he  called  upon  his 
elder  son,  Prince  Guidon,  for  advice  in  this  time  of 
difficulty. 

The  young  Prince,  who,  like  his  brother,  had  been 
brought  up  in  soft  ease  and  luxury,  yet  desired  to  be 
regarded  as  a  dashing  youth  full  of  fiery  ardour,  wit, 
and  brilliancy,  sprang  eagerly  to  his  feet  as  though 
he  had  longed  for  the  moment  to  come  when  his 
advice  should  be  asked  thus  in  the  Council ;  and  he 
declared  that  he  had  lain  awake  all  night  seeking 
for  some  clever  ruse  to  circumvent  the  coming 
danger. 

"  My  dear  son,  you  will  injure  your  precious  health 
if  you  thus  spend  your  nights  in  thought  and  lose 
your  rest  !  "  cried  the  King,  anxiouslj^  "  Do  not 
add  to  my  troubles  in  this  way,  I  beg  of  you." 

Prince  Guidon,  with  a  proud  and  magnanimous 
gesture,  waved  aside  any  such  fear  on  his  account ; 
and  then  he  added,  in  a  self-complacent  tone,  as 
though  well  pleased  with  the  cleverness  of  his  own 
ideas  :  "  The  chief  of  our  troubles  is  that  our  enemy 
is  so  near  to  us  that  he  is  already  about  to  fall  upon  our 
army  and  annihilate  it  !  Let  us,  then,  bring  back  our 
warriors  from  the  borders  and  place  them  around  our 
beloved  capital  to  protect  it  and  ourselves  from  harm. 
Then  we  may  all  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  make  merry 
once  more,  as  though  we  had  no  foes  !     Even  though 


152  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  enemy  comes  over  the  frontier  and  ravages  the 
villages  round  about,  yet  may  your  Majesty  and  we 
who  love  and  serve  you  rest  in  peace,  knowing  that  we 
are  well  guarded  from  harm  !  " 

All  the  company  were  delighted  at  this  inglorious 
advice,  which  pleased  such  comfort-lovers  mightily — 
with  the  exception  of  Prince  Afron  and  the  most 
venerable  of  all  the  Boyards,  Polkan,  the  aged  Voe- 
voda  or  head  of  the  army.  The  latter  angrily  opposed 
such  a  foolish  plan,  declaring  in  violent  tones  that  it 
was  much  more  dangerous  to  have  a  cruel  foe  at  close 
quarters  than  at  a  safe  distance. 

The  Boyards  were  furious  at  having  their  prospects 
of  ease  thus  disturbed,  and  the  King,  after  threatening 
Polkan  with  being  put  in  chains  for  casting  such  a 
damper  upon  the  Heir- Apparent 's  plan,  turned  to  his 
younger  son  and  entreated  his  advice  on  the  weighty 
question. 

Prince  Afron  also  repudiated  his  brother's  scheme 
with  contempt  and  suggested  instead  that  the  army 
should  be  disbanded  for  a  time  and  that  the  soldiers 
should  be  recalled  to  the  colours  just  a  month  before 
the  enemy  attacked.  "  And  then,"  he  added  grandi- 
loquently, "  we  will  go  forth  and  crush  him  !  " 

This  short-sighted  advice  was  extremely  pleasing  to 
the  doddering  old  King  and  his  Boyards,  who  ac- 
claimed the  young  Prince's  speech  with  loud  applause ; 
but  the  Voevoda  Polkan  opposed  this  plan  too, 
pointing  out  sarcastically  that  their  enemies  were 
hardly  likely  to  be  so  obliging  as  to  give  them  timely 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  153 

notice  beforehand  as  to  when  it  was  their  intention 
to  make  an  attack. 

The  King  passionately  denounced  his  sage  Coun- 
sellor for  once  again  throwing  cold  water  upon  a 
plan  which  had  appeared  to  promise  at  any  rate 
temporary  exemption  from  the  warlike  activity  which 
would  so  sadly  interfere  with  his  own  rest  and  com- 
fort ;  and  a  scene  of  wild  uproar  now  ensued,  the  two 
young  Princes  and  the  Boyards  all  drawing  their 
swords,  ready  to  attack  the  old  Voevoda  who  had  dared 
to  speak  his  mind  so  boldly  and  who  valiantly  prepared 
to  defend  himself. 

The  King,  however,  called  the  company  to  order, 
and  once  more  asked  for  advice  ;  and  then  several  of 
the  Boyards  began  to  regret  that  they  had  no  fortune- 
teller to  consult,  who  might  have  divined  a  way  out 
of  the  difficulty  and  revealed  the  future  to  them  by 
means  of  beans  or  by  wine-dregs  or  by  the  stars.  An 
altercation  now  arose  as  to  which  was  the  best  way 
of  securing  such  magical  divination,  whether  by  means 
of  beans,  dregs,  or  stars,  and  the  noisy  uproar  was 
resumed. 

In  the  midst  of  this  confusion  there  appeared  at  the 
top  of  the  stairway  that  led  down  into  the  street  a 
very  old  and  venerable-looking  Astrologer,  who  wore 
flowing  blue  garments  sprinkled  with  golden  stars, 
and  a  tall  white  hat.  He  carried  in  one  hand  an 
astrolabe  and  in  the  other  a  bag ;  and  as  the  whole 
company  relapsed  instantly  into  respectful  silence  and 
gazed  upon  the  new-comer  with  awe  and  veneration, 


154  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  dignified  stranger  slowly  approached  the  throne 
and  bowed  low  before  the  King,  saying  as  he 
did  so  : 

"  Hail,  King  Dodon  !  Although  thon  knowest  me 
not,  yet  art  thou  well-known  to  me.  I  have  served 
thy  sires  in  long  ages  gone  by,  when  they  were  in 
difficulties  which  could  only  be  overcome  by  means  of 
magic.  Such  a  trouble  has  now  come  into  thy  life, 
O  King  Dodon  ;  and  as  it  seems  a  pity  that  so  gor- 
geous a  monarch  should  lose  his  sleep  because  of  the 
cares  of  state  that  overwhelm  him  and  the  dangers 
that  beset  him,  I  have  come  to  offer  unto  thee  a  magic 
remedy,  so  that  thou  mayest  once  more  sleep  in 
peace  !  " 

So  saying,  the  Astrologer  took  out  from  his  bag  a 
Golden  Weathercock  ;  and  whilst  the  whole  company 
gazed  admiringly  upon  this  enchanted  object,  which 
flapped  its  wings  and  crowed,  its  owner  continued  : 
"  Accept  my  Golden  Cockerel,  O  Sire,  and  place  it 
upon  the  highest  spire  upon  thy  palace ;  and  it  shall 
be  a  true  watchman  unto  thee  !  When  all  is  peaceful 
and  quiet,  it  will  make  no  sound  whatever,  and  thou 
mayest  rest  and  take  thy  pleasure  in  safety  and  com- 
fort ;  but  if  enemies  are  about  to  assault  thy  gates 
or  to  draw  nigh  to  thee  from  any  quarter,  or  if  thy 
peace  is  threatened  in  any  way,  then  will  my  magic 
Golden  Cockerel  raise  his  comb,  flap  his  wings,  and, 
turning  in  the  direction  from  whence  the  danger 
appears,  will  crow  aloud  *  Cock-a-doodle-do  !  Be- 
ware ! '  " 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  155 

All  the  people  were  full  of  admiration  for  the  beauti- 
ful Golden  Weather-vane  ;  and  King  Dodon,  over- 
joyed at  the  thought  of  securing  such  a  treasure  which 
should  warn  him  when  danger  was  at  hand,  poured 
grateful  thanks  upon  the  Astrologer  for  bringing 
him  so  splendid  a  gift,  asking  what  favour  he  could 
bestow  upon  him  in  return,  promising  to  give  him 
anything  he  might  desire,  even  to  the  half  of  his 
kingdom.  The  Astrologer,  however,  declared  that 
the  ordinary  gifts  of  riches  and  high  rank  were  as 
nothing  to  him,  since  he  regarded  love  only  as  precious; 
and  he  added  that  he  would  call  upon  the  King  later 
on  to  redeem  his  promise  by  bestowing  upon  him  a 
certain  gift  which  he  would  then  ask  for. 

King  Dodon  gladly  reassured  his  venerable  visitor 
that  he  would  certainly  be  willing  to  redeem  his 
promise  when  the  right  time  came  ;  and  then  the 
Astrologer  bowed  low  before  the  throne  once  more, 
and  departed  as  quietly  as  he  had  come. 

The  enchanted  Weather-vane  was  taken  away  at 
once  and  placed  with  great  reverence  and  care  upon 
the  highest  spire  on  the  palace  roof  ;  and  as  the  King 
came  down  from  his  throne  and  walked  about  the  hall, 
joyfully  rubbing  his  hands  together  at  the  thought 
of  the  magical  treasure  he  now  possessed  and  receiving 
the  congratulations  of  his  courtiers,  the  voice  of  the 
Golden  Cockerel  was  heard  crowing  from  its  lofty 
perch  :  "  Cock-a-doodle-do  !  Eat,  sleep,  and  take 
your  ease." 

"  Ah,  what  happiness  for  me  to  know  that  my  land 


156  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

is  free  from  enemies,  and  that  I  shall  be  warned  the 
moment  danger  approaches  !  "  cried  the  King,  joy- 
fully. "  I  may  sleep  as  long  as  I  wish,  without  the 
thought  of  cares  to  awaken  me  !  The  most  daring  of 
foes  cannot  reach  me  until  I  shall  have  had  time  to 
know  of  their  base  plans  !  Once  more  my  jesters 
may  amuse  me,  and  my  dancers  may  delight  me  ; 
and  I  may  well  forget  that  there  are  such  things  in 
the  world  as  troubles  and  dangers,  since  I  shall  not 
know  of  them,  nor  see  them  coming  !  " 

Rejoicing  in  this  ostrich-like  comfort.  King  Dodon 
dismissed  his  Counsellors  ;  and,  calling  to  his  chief 
female  attendant,  old  Amelfa,  the  Royal  Housekeeper, 
he  announced  his  desire  to  indulge  in  a  long  siesta  in 
the  warm  sunshine  now  pouring  in  through  the  open 
balustrade. 

At  a  sign  from  the  Housekeeper,  the  palace  servants 
carried  out  into  the  sunshine  a  luxurious  couch  of 
ivory,  with  fur  coverings,  upon  which  the  King 
seated  himself ;  and  then  Amelfa  herself  brought  a 
tray  filled  with  dainty  confections  and  other  deli- 
cacies, upon  which  her  royal  master  feasted  for 
awhile.  When  he  had  finished  this  repast,  he  sent 
for  his  favourite  parrot,  which  had  been  taught  by 
Amelfa  to  make  flattering  remarks  about  His  Majesty  ; 
and  after  amusing  himself  with  the  bird  for  a  short 
time,  he  waved  it  aside,  and  settled  down  in  his  couch 
to  sleep,  whilst  Amelfa,  whose  chief  duty  it  was  to 
chase  away  the  flies  from  her  royal  master's  nose, 
seated    herself    on    the    ground    beside    him,    and 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  157 

slowly    fanned    him    with    a  long    fan    of    peacock 
feathers. 

It  seemed  that,  for  the  moment,  even  the  King's 
slumber  should  bring  him  the  joys  of  peace,  for  in 
his  dream  he  was  visited  by  the  vision  of  a  most 
beautiful  Queen,  whose  alluring  charms  thrilled  him 
and  caused  his  heart  to  beat  as  in  the  days  of  his 
youth. 

Following  the  example  of  their  royal  master,  as 
the  sleepy  guards  repeated  the  words  of  the  magic 
Weathercock,  "Rest,  and  be  at  ease  !  "  all  the  courtiers 
and  palace  attendants  likewise  retired  to  their  resting- 
places  and  indulged  in  a  long  sweet  sleep — with  the 
exception  of  the  faithful  Amelfa,  who  never  ceased 
in  her  occupation  of  fanning  the  King  ;  and  for  some 
hours  a  peaceful  quiet  reigned,  whilst  the  sun  still 
shone  brightly  overhead. 

Then,  suddenly,  the  voice  of  the  Golden  Cockerel 
was  heard  loudly  crowing  his  warning  cry  :  "  Cock- 
a-doodle-do  !  Arouse  yourselves  and  beware  !  Be- 
ware !  " 

Instantly,  all  was  hustle,  bustle,  and  confusion  in  the 
palace.  The  guards  sprang  to  their  feet  in  alarm,  the 
people  in  the  streets  crowded  round  the  palace  with 
their  children,  and  the  aged  Voevoda,  Polkan,  rushed 
in  to  the  presence  of  the  King,  crying  loudly : 
"  Awaken,  O  my  King  !  Awaken  !  The  Golden 
Cock  is  crowing,  and  terrible  danger  threatens  !  " 

At  first.  King  Dodon,  rising  sleepily  and  unwillingly 
from  his  comfortable  couch,  was  most  annoyed  at 


158  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

being  thus  rudely  awakened  and  disturbed  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  seductive  dream  that  had  ever 
visited  him  ;  but  upon  hearing  from  the  impatient 
Polkan  that  the  magic  Cockerel  was  indeed  giving 
lively  warning  of  an  approaching  enemy,  he  became 
resigned.  Addressing  the  frightened  people,  he  bade 
them  calm  their  fears  and  prepare  their  fighting  men 
to  set  forth  to  the  frontier  at  once ;  also  to  make  a 
generous  offer  of  their  riches  and  goods  to  provide 
against  the  many  new  expenses  that  would  have  to  be 
met. 

He  then  appointed  his  two  sons  as  the  leaders  of  the 
expedition  against  the  coming  foe,  bidding  them  divide 
the  army  between  them,  and  go  forth  to  gain  glory  and 
renown  ;  but  the  young  Princes  were  both  in  great 
ill-humour  at  having  been  roughly  disturbed  from 
their  own  enticing  dreams,  and,  being  cowards  at 
heart,  grumbled  at  the  prospect  of  hardships  in  store 
and  of  the  dullness  of  their  lives  if  thus  parted  from 
their  sweethearts. 

King  Dodon  reproved  his  sons  for  their  softness  and 
poor  spirit,  and  with  a  parting  embrace  and  a  blessing, 
bade  them  take  command  of  his  hosts  forthwith  ;  and 
the  young  Princes,  though  much  cast  down,  were  fain 
to  depart  with  the  Boyards  and  chief  warriors,  leaving 
the  aged  Polkan  and  remaining  soldiers  in  charge  of 
the  capital. 

When  the  blare  of  trumpets  and  the  noise  of  the 
departing  army  had  died  away  in  the  far  distance, 
peace  and  calm  descended  upon  the  city  once  more  ; 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  159 

and  presently,  the  voice  of  the  Golden  Cockerel  was 
heard  crowing  :  "  Cock-a-doodle-do  !  Rest  and  take 
your  ease  !  " 

When  the  people  heard  this  reassuring  announce- 
ment, they  gladly  returned  to  their  homes  again,  to 
eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  be  merry  ;  and  King  Dodon 
dismissed  his  Court  and  retired  to  his  couch  once 
more,  calling  upon  his  Housekeeper,  Amelfa,  to  recall 
to  his  mind  the  already  half-forgotten  but  seductive 
dream  out  of  which  he  had  been  awakened  by  the 
recent  hubbub  and  to  reveal  its  meaning  to  him. 

The  old  dame,  wishful  to  please  her  royal  lord  and 
jealous  of  her  reputation  as  a  Wise  Woman,  though 
sorely  puzzled  by  such  a  sudden  request,  made  several 
wild  guesses  at  the  subject  of  the  pleasant  vision 
which  had  so  delighted  the  King  ;  and  when  Dodon 
impatiently  chided  her  for  her  lack  of  skill  in  such 
matters,  she  begged  him  to  give  her  more  time. 
Then,  knowing  that  it  flattered  him  to  be  regarded  as 
still  young  enough  to  play  the  lover,  she  slyly  shook 
her  finger  at  him  and  declared  that  he  had  dreamed 
of  a  beautiful  lady  who  had  loved  him  and  whose  love 
he  had  returned. 

King  Dodon,  thus  reminded  of  the  charmer  of  his 
ravishing  dream,  and  already  full  of  drowsiness,  once 
more  settled  down  in  his  luxurious  couch  and  fell  into 
a  deep  and  peaceful  slumber,  again  dreaming  happily 
of  the  mysterious  charmer  who  had  before  filled  him 
with  such  joy. 

The  whole  Court,  including  the  guards  and  even 


i6o  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Amelfa  this  time,  fell  into  the  same  heavy  yet  peaceful 
slumber,  which  appeared  to  be  caused  by  some 
hypnotic  means,  since  it  lasted  for  an  unusually  long 
time  and  affected  one  and  all. 

Then,  once  more,  there  sounded  the  clear  clarion 
cry  of  the  Golden  Cockerel,  crowing  insistently  and 
calling  out  the  warning  :  "  Cock-a-doodle-do  !  Arouse 
yourselves,  and  beware  !     Beware  !  " 

Quickly  awakened  by  the  warning  cry  of  the  magic 
Weathercock,  the  people  again  arose  from  their  couches 
and  m^ade  their  way  to  the  royal  palace,  where  the 
guards  and  courtiers  were  all  hastening  hither  and 
thither,  whilst  the  old  Voevoda,  Polkan,  was  en- 
deavouring to  arouse  the  drowsy  King,  declaring 
that  the  Golden  Cockerel  had  again  crowed  forth  a 
warning,  which  could  only  mean  that  disaster  must 
have  already  befallen  the  brilliant  army  before  it  had 
even  had  time  to  reach  the  borders. 

King  Dodon  hastened  to  the  balustrade  to  observe 
for  himself  the  antics  of  the  magic  Weathercock ; 
and  seeing  that  it  was  still  flapping  its  wings  wildly 
and  crowing  continually,  he  agreed  to  Polkan 's 
suggestion  of  calling  up  the  reserves  of  old  men, 
declaring  that  he  himself  would  lead  this  second  army 
and  go  forth  to  the  rescue  of  his  children.  He  then 
called  for  his  armour  and  weapons  of  war ;  and 
though  the  former  had  become  too  tight  for  his  rotund 
body,  and  his  favourite  sword  was  red  with  rust, 
he  donned  the  complete  equipment  boldly,  and  was 
carried  forth  and  mounted  upon  his  white  charger, 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  i6i 

which  had  also  grown  dull  and  decrepit  with  age  and 
had  lost  all  the  fire  of  its  youth. 

When  the  people  beheld  their  King  riding  at  the 
head  of  this  stout  army  of  greybeards,  and  followed 
by  his  old  Voevoda,  Polkan,  they  raised  loud  shouts 
of  joyful  pride,  pouring  blessings  upon  their  beloved 
monarch  for  thus  going  forth  himself  in  their  defence, 
but  entreating  him  to  take  care  of  his  own  sacred 
person  and  to  keep  out  of  all  danger,  that  he  might 
return  safely  to  them  once  more.  Thus,  though 
well  advanced  in  years,  rode  forth  King  Dodon,  in 
great  splendour  and  comic  pride — though  mightily 
afraid  of  his  staggering  old  war-horse — to  meet  the 
foe,  of  which  he  had  been  so  timely  warned  by  the 
Golden  Cockerel. 

After  marching  many  weary  miles  in  the  wake  of  the 
first  splendid  if  reluctant  army  of  young  men  that  had 
set  out  before  them.  King  Dodon  and  his  greybeards 
were  puzzled  because  they  could  find  no  trace  of  their 
children,  nor  of  the  foe  of  whom  they  had  been 
warned  ;  and  full  of  an  ever-growing  uneasiness,  when 
darkness  fell,  they  still  continued  to  wander  on,  though 
weary  and  longing  for  rest. 

By  this  time,  they  had  reached  a  wild  and  desolate 
spot ;  and  as  the  moon  came  up,  it  cast  pale  gleams 
over  a  narrow  gorge  covered  with  stunted  bushes  and 
bare  hillocks,  and  hemmed  in  by  rugged,  threatening 
cliffs. 

Here,  at  last,  they  came  upon  traces  of  a  great 
battle  ;    for  as  they  penetrated  into  the  gorge,  the 


i62  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

moonlight  shone  down  upon  the  ghastly  upturned 
faces  of  countless  dead  bodies  of  warriors,  strewn  in 
every  direction,  lying  stark  upon  the  hillocks,  or 
crowded  in  heaps  among  the  bushes.  All  these  dead 
bodies  were  those  of  the  handsome  youths  of  King 
Dodon's  first  splendid  army  ;  and  the  mystery  of  the 
hidden  foes  deepened,  as  no  corpse  or  even  wounded 
warrior  could  be  seen  of  the  enemy  battalions,  which 
had  vanished  as  completely  as  though  they  had  never 
been  in  the  gorge  at  all. 

As  the  old  warriors  burst  forth  into  a  wail  of  sorrow 
and  lamentation  while  seeking  for  their  beloved  ones 
amongst  the  slain,  King  Dodon  and  the  old  Voevoda 
dismounted  and  penetrated  a  little  further  into  the 
gorge,  full  of  amazement  at  the  mysterious  battle 
which  had  evidently  been  fought  either  with  an  in- 
visible foe,  or  with  no  foe  at  all,  each  warrior  evidently 
having  turned  upon  his  neighbour.  This  latter 
terrible  suggestion  was  presentl}^  confirmed  by  King 
Dodon,  who,  stumbling  against  two  bodies,  dis- 
covered them  to  be  the  corpses  of  his  own  well- 
beloved  sons,  whose  swords  were  each  buried  in  the 
heart  of  the  other. 

As  the  grief-stricken  King  flung  himself  upon  the 
bodies  of  his  heirs  and  poured  forth  tears  and  lamenta- 
tions for  their  untimely  end,  the  aged  Voevoda  fetched 
up  his  followers  and  claimed  their  allegiance  to  the 
old  monarch,  calling  upon  them  to  join  him  now  in 
search  for  this  mysterious  enemy,  who  had  thus  robbed 
them  of  their  Princes  and  their  own  sons,  and  to  destroy 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  163 

him.  All  the  warriors  swore  to  avenge  the  deaths  of 
their  children  ;  and  they  searched  the  gorge  through- 
out the  night,  but  in  vain,  since  no  sign  of  any  enemy 
warrior  could  they  find. 

Then,  at  last,  as  the  night  mists  began  to  clear  and 
the  first  rosy  glow  of  early  dawn  slowly  penetrated  the 
entrance  to  the  gorge,  to  the  amazement  of  all,  in  one 
of  the  hollows,  the  outline  of  a  large  silken  tent  of 
brilliant  colours  became  clearly  discernible. 

King  Dodon  would  have  made  a  sudden  raid  upon 
the  strange  tent ;  but  he  was  prevented  from  so  doing 
by  the  more  prudent  Polkan,  who  declared  that  it 
would  be  better  to  fire  upon  the  unseen — but  evidently 
deadly — foe  from  a  safe  distance.  He  gave  orders, 
therefore,  for  a  culverin  to  be  brought  up  and  loaded  ; 
and  the  charge  was  just  about  to  be  fired,  when  the 
flaps  of  the  tent  were  silently  moved  aside,  and  a 
queenly  woman  of  dazzling  beauty  came  forth, 
attended  by  four  female  slaves,  and,  regardless  of 
the  presence  of  King  Dodon  and  his  army,  raised 
her  arms  and  addressed  a  song  of  welcome  to  the 
rising  sun. 

This  dazzling  vision  of  female  loveliness  was  clad  in 
filmy  shimmering  robes  of  rose-colour,  adorned  with 
chains  of  pearls  and  priceless  jewels  ;  and  as  the  soft 
tones  of  her  seductive  voice  reached  them,  the  anger 
in  the  hearts  of  the  approaching  warriors  vanished 
utterly,  and  they  drew  back  to  a  respectful  distance, 
leaving  King  Dodon  and  his  Voevoda  alone  to  parley 
with  the  mysterious  siren. 


i64  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

As  the  beautiful  singer  finished  her  hymn  of  praise, 
she  turned  and  gazed  long  and  intently  upon  King 
Dodon,  who  turned  pale  and  whose  heart  began  to 
beat  wildly  as  he  recognised  in  this  wonderful  stranger 
the  lovely  and  seductive  maiden  of  the  joyful  vision 
which  had  visited  him  since  his  possession  of  the 
Golden  Cockerel ;  and  when  the  bewildered  monarch 
at  length  asked  in  a  trembling  voice  from  whence  she 
came  and  whither  she  was  travelling,  she  replied 
boldly  :  "  I  am  the  far-famed  Virgin  Queen  of  Shema- 
khan  ;  and  I  am  journeying  silently,  like  a  thief  in  the 
night,  to  make  conquest  of  thy  city,  and  to  take  it  for 
mine  own  !  " 

Then,  as  King  Dodon  and  the  amazed  Polkan 
demanded  roughly  how  she  intended  to  accomplish 
her  bold  intention,  seeing  that  she  had  no  army  and 
was  merely  attended  by  a  retinue  of  slaves,  she 
replied  with  an  enchanting  smile  :  "  Beauty  needs  no 
army  !  Beauty  provides  me  with  all  the  weapons  I 
need,  and  by  means  of  my  beauty  I  conquer  one  and 
all  !  " 

She  then  clapped  her  hands,  and  called  for  goblets 
of  wine  to  be  brought,  declaring  that  the  King  and 
Polkan  were  welcome  guests  to  her  tent ;  and,  at 
her  command,  a  company  of  slaves  brought  forth  a 
gorgeous  carpet  from  the  tent,  spread  it  out,  and  threw 
upon  it  silken  cushions,  upon  which  the  Queen  sank  in 
a  graceful  attitude,  inviting  her  stranger  guests  with 
an  imperious  yet  irresistible  gesture  to  seat  them- 
selves beside  her  and  to  partake  of  the  rich  wine  now 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  165 

proffered  to  them  by  fair  slave  maidens  on  bended 
knees. 

Both  the  warriors  hesitated,  uncertain,  and  fearful 
of  enchantment,  or,  at  least,  of  poison  ;  and  then  the 
King,  already  under  the  spell  of  the  Queen's  alluring 
beauty,  took  the  goblet  and  drank  deeply  and  with 
delight  of  its  luscious  ruby  contents,  and  old  Polkan, 
somewhat  sulkily,  followed  his  royal  master's  example. 

The  Queen  of  Shemakhan  continued  to  talk  to  her 
guests,  telling  them  of  a  delightful  dream  which  had 
visited  her  that  night,  in  which  a  strange  and  un- 
known lover,  whose  face  she  could  not  see,  had  whis- 
pered passionate  words  of  love  to  her ;  and  upon 
the  rough  Polkan  gruffly  making  light  of  this  vision, 
declaring  that  it  was  caused  by  indigestion,  the  lovely 
Queen,  in  angry  tones,  commanded  King  Dodon  to 
dismiss  the  tiresome  old  Voevoda,  since  his  presence 
was  distasteful  to  her. 

Nothing  loath,  the  already  enamoured  King  curtly 
bade  Polkan  betake  himself  to  the  back  of  the  tent ; 
and  when  the  old  warrior  had  grumblingly  retired, 
Dodon  gave  himself  up  gladly  to  the  joy  of  the  moment, 
and  eagerly  submitted  to  the  blandishments  of  the 
beautiful  Queen,  who  now  made  flattering  love  to 
him  and  soon  had  him  completely  under  the  sway  of 
her  magical  fascination.  She  sang  love-songs  to  him 
in  her  most  alluring  tones  ;  and  she  compelled  the 
King  to  sing  to  her  in  return — which  he  did  in  an  old 
cracked  voice,  upon  hearing  which  his  fair  listener 
burst  into  peals  of  silvery  laughter. 

M 


iC6  STORIES  FROxM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Seeing,  however,  that  Kmg  Dodon  still  held  back 
from  caressing  her,  the  beautiful  Queen  sought  to 
arouse  his  jealousy  by  telling  him  that,  but  a  few 
hours  since,  both  the  young  Princes,  his  sons,  had  vied 
with  one  another  for  her  love  and  had  fought  each 
other  to  the  death  for  possession  of  it.  As  she  pro- 
ceeded with  her  story.  King  Dodon  realised  that, 
though  unaccompanied  by  an  army,  yet  this  siren 
Queen  was  the  most  irresistible  of  all  foes,  since  her 
seductive  beauty  had  caused  his  entire  army  of 
youthful  warriors  to  turn  on  themselves  and  to  slay 
one  another  for  the  favour  of  her  smiles  ;  yet  so  com- 
pletely had  he,  also,  fallen  beneath  her  fatal  spell, 
that  these  terrible  misfortunes  were  as  nothing  to  him, 
and,  in  spite  of  his  advanced  years,  all  he  foolishly 
desired  was  the  love  of  the  beautiful  enchantress 
beside  him,  whose  every  word  was  already  law  to  him. 

When  the  lovely  Queen,  therefore,  playfully  in- 
sisted upon  him  joining  her  in  a  merry  dance,  he  per- 
mitted her  to  relieve  him  of  his  cumbersome  armour 
and  to  bind  his  silver  locks  with  her  own  gaily-coloured 
silken  kerchief,  ready  to  join  in  the  impromptu  revels 
which  now  took  place. 

A  company  of  pretty  slave  maidens  went  through 
many  graceful  evolutions  ;  and  after  joining  in  the 
dance  herself  for  a  short  time,  the  Queen  forced  the 
unwilling  Dodon — who  had  not  danced  for  many 
years  and  was  exceedingly  stiff  in  his  movements — 
into  the  whirl  of  the  mad  revel,  to  the  accompaniment 
of  wild  music  played  by  the  slaves. 


The  Enchantress  Charms  King  Dodon. 

(Mme  Thamar  Karsavina  as  The  Queen  of  Shemakhan.') 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  167 

At  last,  the  foolish  King  sank  back  amongst  the 
cushions,  exhausted,  but  still  full  of  the  strange  joy 
which  held  him  in  thrall ;  and,  seizing  the  Queen's 
hand,  he  acknowledged  himself  her  slave,  begging 
of  her  to  become  his  Consort  and  to  return  with  him 
to  his  capital,  there  to  reign  over  all  his  people. 

The  Queen  now  coquetted  with  her  elderly  lover, 
declaring  that  she  desired  only  to  wed  with  one 
who  would  dare  to  resist  her  will  and  to  thwart  her 
plans ;  but  King  Dodon  only  the  more  eagerly 
agreed  to  please  her  in  this  respect  also,  if  only  she 
would  consent  to  be  his  and  to  return  with  him. 

The  wily  Queen  of  Shemakhan,  who  had  foreseen 
this  offer  and  played  her  hand  for  it,  and  had,  in 
addition,  other  desperate  plans  for  the  future  formu- 
lated in  her  scheming  brain,  now  made  pretence  of 
agreement  and  gave  orders  for  her  slaves  to  strike  the 
tent  and  to  join  in  the  procession  of  King  Dodon's 
triumphant  return  to  his  capital. 

Meanwhile,  the  people  left  behind  in  the  capital 
were  full  of  fears  and  presentiments  of  coming  disaster, 
wondering  what  was  to  become  of  them  should  their 
King  meet  with  defeat ;  and  when,  at  length,  after 
many  anxious  hours  of  waiting  throughout  the  night, 
runners  were  seen  next  morning  entering  the  city 
gates  towards  midda}^  vast  crowds  collected  around 
the  palace  to  learn  what  news  the  messengers  had 
brought.  When,  a  few  hours  later,  the  old  House- 
keeper, Amelfa,  was  observed  through  the  open 
balustrade    bustling    about    the    Council    Chamber, 


i68  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

arranging  the  drapery  about  the  King's  throne,  and 
giving  orders  to  the  slaves,  some  of  the  bolder  spirits 
amongst  the  observers  ventured  to  the  entrance  and 
began  to  importune  the  old  dame  with  questions. 
Had  victory  attended  the  arms  of  King  Dodon,  or 
had  a  direct  calamity  befallen  him  ?  Was  their 
royal  father  returning  to  them,  or  had  he  been  killed 
or  captured  ?  Were  they  themselves  to  become  the 
slaves  of  a  foreign  conqueror  ?  What  news  had  the 
runners  brought,  and  what  was  about  to  happen  ? 

To  these  questioners,  at  first,  Amelfa,  full  of  her 
own  importance  and  proud  of  her  secret  knowledge, 
refused  to  divulge  any  information  at  all,  delighting 
in  her  power  to  keep  the  eager  inquirers  on  the  tenter- 
hooks of  suspense  ;  but,  at  length,  unable  to  keep 
such  a  weighty  secret  to  herself  any  longer,  she  told 
them  of  the  expected  return  of  her  royal  master, 
enlarging  considerably  upon  the  story  brought  in  by 
the  runners,  and  leading  her  hearers  to  imagine  that 
the  King  had  made  a  great  conquest,  saying  menda- 
ciously :  "  Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  four  great 
Kings  of  Hearts,  Diamonds,  Clubs  and  Spades  ? 
Well,  our  noble  lord  has  conquered  them  all  !  More- 
over, he  has  saved  from  the  jaws  of  a  terrible  dragon 
the  most  beautiful  royal  damsel  in  the  world  ;  and 
he  brings  her  back  with  him  to  be  his  bride  !  They 
will  soon  be  here  ;  so  prepare  a  splendid  and  joy- 
ous welcome  for  them  !  Leap  like  goats,  and 
turn  somersaults,  sing,  clap  your  hands  and  dance 
for    joy  !      If    not,    woe   betide   you,   for   our   new 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  169 

Queen  is  not  likely  to  endure  the  sight  of  doleful 
faces  !  " 

On  hearing  this  astonishing  news,  the  people  were 
plunged  into  a  great  state  of  excitement ;  and  though 
grieved  at  learning  also  that  their  beloved  Princes 
were  slain,  they  did  not  hesitate  to  don  their  gala 
attire  in  joyful  anticipation  of  a  holiday,  and  con- 
gregated in  great  masses  in  the  streets  ready  to 
welcome  the  returning  "  conqueror."  They  even 
swarmed  on  to  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  sat  on  the 
window-ledges,  and  clung  to  the  chimney-pots,  in 
order  to  get  the  best  possible  view  of  the  approaching 
procession. 

Within  the  palace,  the  bustle  increased  tenfold, 
and  old  Amelfa  was  soon  nearly  raving  with  fussy 
preparations  ;  and  in  between  the  pillars  of  the  open 
balustrade,  the  oldest  of  the  Boyards — who  had  been 
left  behind  to  guard  the  city — assembled  with  their 
wives  and  children,  all  garbed  in  the  richest  of  raiment. 
The  atmosphere  soon  became  stifling  ;  and  although 
the  sun  still  shone  brightly,  it  was  observed  that  a 
dense  black  cloud  was  creeping  up  from  the  East, 
giving  warning  that  a  terrible  thunderstorm  was 
approaching.  The  joyful  people,  however,  refused 
to  have  their  spirits  damped  by  the  ominous  appear- 
ance of  the  eastern  sky  ;  and  since  the  beautiful 
Golden  Cockerel  still  remained  silent  and  glistened  in 
the  bright  sunshine,  with  its  wings  folded  as  the  sign 
of  peace,  they  had  no  qualms  of  fear,  but  awaited  with 
eager  anticipation  the  approach  of  the  royal  procession. 


170  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

At  last,  just  before  the  black  thundercloud  obscured 
the  sun,  the  triumphal  procession  appeared  in  the 
distance  ;  and  a  mighty  shout  of  welcome  went  up 
from  the  thousands  of  spectators. 

First  came  the  royal  warriors,  some  mounted  on 
dashing  steeds  and  others  marching  on  foot,  all 
holding  up  their  heads  high  with  pride  as  though 
indeed  returning  from  some  mighty  feat  of  arms ; 
and  after  these,  there  followed  the  splendid  retinue 
of  the  Queen  of  Shemakhan.  This  gorgeous  proces- 
sion ol  eastern  courtiers  and  slaves  was  an  amazing 
sight  to  the  humble  people  gathered  in  the  streets 
of  King  Dodon's  city  ;  for  there  were  many  strange 
and  fantastic  beings  amongst  them,  the  like  of  which 
had  never  before  been  seen  in  that  country. 

Amongst  these  strangers  were  giants  of  huge  size, 
and  dwarfs  so  tiny  that  they  scarcely  reached  to  the 
knees  of  the  shortest  man  present.  There  were  even 
stranger  and  more  freakish  creatures — people  with 
horns  on  their  heads,  some  with  but  one  eye  in  the 
centre  of  their  foreheads,  and  a  few  who  had  heads 
like  those  of  a  dog.  Besides  these,  there  were  many 
gigantic  negroes  and  tiny  black  boys,  whose  ebony 
skins  shone  like  satin  in  the  sunshine,  and  whose 
decorations  were  sashes  and  turbans  of  brilliant 
colours  and  barbaric  ornaments  of  curious  workman- 
ship ;  and  these  were  followed  by  a  bevy  of  lovely 
slave  maidens,  whose  charms  and  delicate  outlines 
were  only  half  concealed  by  the  long,  diaphanous 
veils  of  shimmering  gauze  which  enveloped  them. 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  171 

Many  of  these  gorgeously-attired  attendants  carried 
caskets  overflowing  with  strings  of  pearls  and  precious 
stones ;  and  the  sight  of  these  stupendous  riches 
filled  the  observers  with  greater  satisfaction  still, 
since  it  was  good  to  know  that  such  treasures  were  to 
be  added  to  the  wealth  of  their  city. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  therefore,  knew  no 
bounds  when,  presently,  the  magnificent  golden 
chariot  containing  King  Dodon  and  his  royal  bride 
came  slowly  by  ;  and  for  a  few  moments  they  were 
dazed  and  struck  almost  dumb  by  the  dazzling 
beauty  of  the  siren  Queen,  which  held  them  spell- 
bound as  they  gazed  upon  it.  Then,  seeing  that  the 
lovely  Queen,  so  far  from  being  gracious  and  kindly 
in  her  demeanour,  threw  only  haughty,  scornful 
glances  on  all  around,  they  sought  to  please  her  and 
to  win  her  smiles  by  renewed  cheers  and  joyful  songs, 
turning  somersaults  and  leaping  high  into  the  air, 
to  prove  to  her  the  joy  of  their  welcome. 

King  Dodon,  on  his  part,  looked  older  and  more 
worn  than  when  he  had  set  forth  upon  this  strange 
enterprise,  and  he  appeared  also  to  be  nervous  and 
restless  ;  but  he  gazed  continually  and  with  doting 
sentimentality  into  the  wonderful  eyes  of  the  haughty 
Queen  of  Shemakhan,  who  returned  his  glances  of 
love  with  cold  indifference  and  disdain,  as  though  he 
were  but  a  pawn  in  some  mysterious  game  she  was 
playing — as,  indeed,  he  was.  What  was  more,  the 
end  of  this  curious  game  was  at  hand  ;  for,  as  the 
people's  glad  song  of  welcome  came  to  an  end,  and 


172  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  golden  chariot  drew  up  at  the  entrance  to  the 
palace,  a  stranger  suddenly  emerged  from  a  neigh- 
bouring portico,  in  whom  all  recognised  at  once  the 
mysterious  old  Astrologer  who  had  presented  the 
Golden  Cockerel  to  King  Dodon. 

Clad  in  the  same  star-spangled  blue  garment  and 
tall  hat,  the  Astrologer  stood,  motionless  and  silent, 
gazing  earnestly  into  the  eyes  of  the  Queen  of  Shema- 
khan,  who  returned  his  gaze  long  and  steadfastly  ; 
but  King  Dodon,  delighted  at  the  sight  of  one  who 
had  bestowed  upon  him  so  precious  a  gift,  hailed  him 
genially  as  his  respected  benefactor  and  asked  him 
to  claim  now  his  reward  for  bringing  the  Golden 
Cockerel,  promising  again  to  give  him  anything 
he  might  desire. 

The  Astrologer,  with  slow,  measured  tread,  made  his 
way  to  the  side  of  the  chariot,  and  said  :  "  Give  me, 
then,  O  King,  this  beautiful  maiden,  the  Queen  of 
Shemakhan  !     I  demand  nothing  more,  nothing  less! " 

King  Dodon  sprang  to  his  feet  in  anger  on  hearing 
this  amazing  demand  from  his  benefactor ;  and, 
thinking  the  Astrologer  must  have  taken  leave  of  his 
senses,  he  declared  that  such  a  request  was  ridiculous 
and  impossible,  since  one  so  hoary-headed  and  aged 
could  not  hope  to  feel  the  thrills  of  passion,  as  in  the 
days  of  youth. 

The  Astrologer  replied  with  dignity  that,  never- 
theless, it  was  his  desire  to  try  the  joys  of  marriage, 
even  in  his  old  age  ;  but  King  Dodon,  beside  himself 
with   indignation,    commanded  him   to   name   some 


THE  GOLDEN  COCKEREL  173 

other  price,  promising  him  the  highest  noble  rank,  or 
even  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 

To  this,  the  Astrologer  still  firmly  declared  that  he 
desired  only  to  have  possession  of  the  beautiful 
Queen  of  Shemakhan,  that  nothing  else  would  satisfy 
him,  and  since  the  King  had  made  a  solemn  promise 
to  grant  him  whatever  he  might  desire,  he  must 
certainly  redeem  that  promise  now  that  the  time  of 
reckoning  had  come. 

King  Dodon,  no  longer  able  to  restrain  his  rage, 
burst  forth  into  a  torrent  of  abuse  ;  and  to  such  a 
great  height  of  excitement  did  his  uncontrollable 
passion  lead  him  that,  raising  his  royal  sceptre,  he 
aimed  a  violent  blow  at  the  Astrologer,  and  stretched 
him  dead  at  his  feet.  At  the  same  time,  the  sun  went 
behind  the  cloud,  and  a  loud  clap  of  thunder  was 
heard,  whilst  a  strange  darkness  began  to  creep  over 
the  land. 

As  the  people  all  drew  back,  awed  and  horrified  at 
this  deed  of  violence,  King  Dodon  was  relieved  when 
the  Queen  of  Shemakhan  declared  coldly  that  the 
foolish  old  man  had  only  got  his  deserts  for  his  pre- 
sumption ;  but  when  the  King  endeavoured  to  con- 
tinue his  love-making  and  would  have  embraced  her, 
she  repulsed  him  with  unutterable  scorn  and  pushed 
him  away  from  her  side,  saying  contemptuously:  "Pre- 
pare to  die,  thou  hoary-headed  old  imbecile !  This 
sorry  jest  has  gone  far  enough.   Thy  death  is  at  hand!" 

As  the  crestfallen  King  now  turned  to  mount  the 
steps  of  the  palace,  the  voice  of  the  Golden  Cockerel 


174  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

was  heard  crowing  loudly  :  "  Cock-a-doodle-do  ! 
I  will  avenge  my  mysterious  master  !  I  will  peck  this 
foolish  old  dotard  and  kill  him  !  " 

With  these  words,  the  Golden  Cockerel  flew  down 
from  its  perch  on  the  spire  above,  circled  over  the 
heads  of  the  people  a  few  times,  and  then  aimed  a 
heavy  blow  with  its  powerful  beak  at  the  head  of 
King  Dodon,  who  fell  instantly  to  the  ground,  dead. 
At  the  same  moment,  there  was  a  violent  peal  of 
thunder,  which  struck  the  terrified  people  almost 
dumb  ;  and  for  a  few  minutes  a  veil  of  black  darkness 
hung  over  all,  through  which  could  be  heard  the  scorn- 
ful laugh  of  the  stranger  Queen. 

When  at  length  the  storm  had  ended  and  the  cloud 
of  darkness  began  to  pass  away,  it  was  seen  that  the 
mysterious  Queen  of  Shemakhan  and  the  Golden 
Cockerel  had  both  vanished,  as  though  they  had  never 
been  present.  Knowing  now  that  some  enchant- 
ment was  at  work,  the  trembling  people  slowly 
approached  the  still  form  of  their  fallen  King,  hoping 
that  the  preceding  events  had  been  but  a  terrible 
dream,  and  that  he  was  asleep  or  in  a  trance.  But 
their  hopes  were  in  vain,  for  King  Dodon  was  indeed 
dead  ;  and  the  people  raised  their  voices  in  loud 
lamentations  for  the  loss  of  their  beloved  monarch. 

Thus  did  a  mighty  magician  vainly  endeavour  to 
bring  within  his  own  power  a  beautiful  enchantress, 
through  the  means  of  a  doting  old  King,  and,  though 
failing  in  his  enterprise,  repaid  the  latter  for  base 
ingratitude  in  his  own  coin. 


RUBINSTEIN 


THE   DEMON 

Amidst  the  wild,  lonely  heights  of  the  Caucasus 
Mountains,  a  terrific  storm  was  raging.  The  four 
winds  of  Heaven  seemed  to  have  been  let  loose  and 
to  have  joined  their  forces  into  one  stupendous 
hurricane  ;  and  while  the  fierce  tempest  roared  and 
raged,  the  ground  was  rent  by  a  fearful  earthquake, 
and  out  of  the  wide  chasms  that  yawned  in  every 
direction  evil  spirits  escaped  for  a  brief  spell  from 
their  abode  of  darkness,  laughing  in  derision  as  they 
passed  now  and  again  groups  of  good  spirits  appearing 
through  the  lightning-rent  skies. 

Into  the  midst  of  this  awe-inspiring  scene,  their 
master,  half-mortal  and  half-demon,  presently 
appeared  upon  the  highest  mountain  peak  of  Kazbec, 
in  answer  to  the  call  of  the  truant  evil  spirits  over 
whom  he  ruled,  cursing  the  world  and  its  Creator 
and  railing  at  the  Spirit  of  Light  Who  so  often  pre- 
vented his  wicked  plans  from  coming  to  pass.  His 
curses,  however,  were  futile  and  seemed  to  give  him 
but  little  satisfaction  ;  and  presently,  wearying  of 
everything,  even  of  his  own  terrible  power,  he  dropped 
his  head  for  a  moment  and  appeared  to  be  upon  the 
verge  of  despair. 

Just  then,  however,  in  a  flash  of  dazzling  radiance, 

175 


176  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  Spirit  of  Good  appeared,  crowned  with  Light ; 
and  instantly,  the  Demon  burst  forth  once  again  into 
a  passion  of  vindictive  rage,  railing  at  the  Light  that 
would  destroy  his  darkness,  defying  all  the  hosts  of 
Heaven,  and  uttering  violent  curses  against  the 
dwellers  upon  earth. 

In  spite  of  the  stern  rebukes  of  the  Angel  of  Light, 
Who  warned  him  again  that  his  evil  hatred  would 
never  conquer  the  Goodness  of  Divine  Love,  the 
Demon  continued  to  hurl  defiance  at  the  Creator, 
his  sole  satisfaction  since  he  had  succumbed  to  the 
evil  within  him  being  to  offer  opposition  to  every- 
thing good  and  pure  and  to  engage  in  endless  strife 
with  the  heavenly  hosts.  Even  when  the  fury  of  the 
present  storm  abated  somewhat  and  his  attendant 
evil  spirits  had  returned  to  their  own  abode,  he  lin- 
gered upon  the  mountain-tops,  still  cursing  and  plan- 
ning further  wickedness  into  which  to  plunge  weak 
mortals. 

As  the  hours  rolled  on,  however,  and  the  storm 
passed,  a  sudden  change  came  over  him,  and  his  fury 
vanished  as  the  sun  rose  in  the  clearing  sky  ;  and 
he  who  had  railed  at  the  hosts  of  Heaven  and  cursed 
the  dwellers  upon  earth  throughout  the  tempestuous 
night  became  strangely  silent,  his  rage  vanishing  with 
the  dawn  of  a  glorious  summer  day  as  a  new  passion 
took  possession  of  him. 

The  reason  for  this  sudden  change  was  a  remark- 
able and  almost  unbelievable  one.  Down  in  the 
valley  below,  which  lay  in  the  district  of  Grusia,  he 


THE  DEMON  177 


beheld  a  mortal  maiden  of  such  exquisite  beauty 
that  he  mimediately  conceived  a  wild  and  violent 
passion  for  her,  remaining  silent,  heedless  of  all  nature, 
as  he  gazed,  fascinated,  upon  her. 

This  lovely  maiden,  who  had  come  forth  thus  early 
to  gather  flowers  and  to  wander  upon  the  banks  of  a 
sparkling  streamlet  that  flowed  below,  was  Tamara, 
the  daughter  of  Prince  Gudal,  the  Ruler  of  Grusia. 
As  she  filled  her  arms  with  sweet-scented  blossoms 
and  rejoiced  in  the  beauty  of  the  peaceful  morning 
that  had  succeeded  the  storm-racked  night,  her 
reflections  were  no  less  sweet  and  beautiful — for  her 
thoughts  were  all  of  her  betrothed  lover,  the  Prince 
of  Sinodal,  who  was  even  now  travelling  with  all 
speed  from  his  distant  land  to  be  united  to  her,  and 
who  was  expected  to  arrive  for  the  marriage  cere- 
mony within  the  next  few  days. 

So  pleasantly  were  her  thoughts  engaged  in  anticipa- 
tion of  her  gallant  lover's  arrival  that  Tamara  wan- 
dered somewhat  further  afield  than  was  her  usual 
custom,  soon  leaving  her  attendant  maidens  far 
behind  ;  and  presently,  to  her  intense  alarm,  as  she 
turned  to  retrace  her  steps,  she  was  accosted  by  a 
stranger,  whose  unearthly  fascination  held  her  in 
instant  thrall.  For  the  Demon,  having  conceived 
an  overwhelming  passion  for  the  beautiful  maiden 
on  beholding  her  for  the  first  time  in  the  valley  below, 
had  ceased  his  railings  against  the  Spirit  of  Good,  and, 
determining  to  lose  no  time  in  securing  this  new  prize, 
he  now  appeared  before  her  in  the  guise  of  the  hand- 


178  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

somest  young  man  she  had  ever  seen,  and  clad  in  the 
rich  garments  of  a  great  Prince.  He  addressed  her 
eagerly,  and  plunged  at  once  into  a  passionate  declara- 
tion of  his  love. 

Amazed  and  terrified  at  the  hot  flow  of  words 
uttered  by  the  stranger,  Tamara's  first  thought  was 
to  fly  from  his  presence  ;  but  so  fascinated  was  she 
by  his  sinister  beauty  and  by  his  earnest  pleading 
for  her  love,  that  she  felt,  for  the  moment,  almost 
powerless  to  move.  As  she  listened  to  this  wild 
love-making,  all  remembrance  of  her  betrothed  faded 
from  her  mind  and  an  answering  passion  began  to 
kindle  in  her  own  heart  for  this  brilliant  new  lover 
who  had  so  suddenly  appeared  from  she  knew  not 
where,  and  whose  wooing,  though  she  felt  it  to  be 
unearthly  and  unholy,  yet  filled  her  with  a  strange 

joy- 
When,  however,  the  Demon  would  have  folded  her 

in  a  passionate  embrace  as  he  uttered  these  extrava- 
gant words  :  "  Thou  art  the  Queen  of  my  Love,  and 
I  will  make  thee  Queen  of  all  the  world  !  "  she  was 
terrified,  as  she  thus  realised  that  the  stranger  was 
certainly  no  ordinary  mortal  but  a  being  possessed  of 
supernatural  powers.  She  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  and,  with  a  mighty  effort,  tore  herself  away 
from  his  inviting  arms  and  fled  from  his  presence, 
not  slackening  her  steps  until  she  had  rejoined  her 
companions  and  had  returned  with  them  to  her 
father's  castle. 
The  Demon,  however,  was  full  of  triumph,  and. 


THE  DEMON  179 


satisfied  that  he  had  already  ensnared  the  heart  of 
Tamara,  he  felt  that  she  could  not  now  escape  his 
toils ;  and  in  order  that  he  might  satisfy  his  sudden 
desire,  he  determined  that  her  betrothed  lover,  the 
Prince  of  Sinodal,  should  never  arrive  in  Grusia  but 
should  meet  with  an  untimely  end  upon  his  present 
journey.  By  means  of  his  supernatural  powers, 
therefore,  he  caused  terrible  disaster  to  fall  upon  his 
rival. 

Little  dreaming  that  he  had  innocently  earned  the 
fatal  hatred  of  a  supernatural  rival,  the  young  Prince 
of  Sinodal  proceeded  eagerly  and  patiently  upon  the 
long  and  weary  journey  which  he  hoped  and  believed 
was  to  bring  him  to  the  crowning  happiness  of  his 
life — his  marriage  with  the  beautiful  Tamara,  whose 
love  he  prized  more  than  all  the  world.  The  journey 
had  been  a  troubled  one  from  the  first,  for  the  dis- 
tance was  great  and  the  way  had  been  exceedingly 
rough ;  and  during  the  night  that  followed  the 
meeting  of  his  beloved  one  with  her  new  sinister 
wooer,  final  disaster  overtook  him. 

That  night  the  young  Prince  and  his  suite  encamped 
near  a  wayside  chapel  which,  as  it  happened,  had  been 
built  many  years  ago  as  a  memorial  to  one  of  his  own 
ancestors,  who  had  been  treacherously  murdered  upon 
that  spot  by  an  enemy  ;  and  the  old  body-servant  of 
the  Prince,  full  of  superstition  and  trembling  lest  the 
place  should  be  haunted,  entreated  his  royal  master 
to  pray  for  the  soul  of  his  murdered  ancestor  ere  he  lay 
down  to  rest.     The  young  Prince,  however,  was  too 


i8o  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

footsore  and  weary  to  attempt  special  devotions  at 
so  late  an  hour ;  and,  despite  the  admonitions  and 
warnings  of  his  old  servant,  whose  fears  of  approach- 
ing danger  he  endeavoured  to  allay  by  promising  to 
pray  for  the  soul  of  his  murdered  ancestor  when  day- 
light came,  he  fell  asleep  within  his  tent  and  was  soon 
dreaming  of  Tamara,  his  beautiful  bride-elect. 

But  the  premonitions  of  the  old  servant  were  well- 
founded  and  what  he  had  feared  came  to  pass.  A 
few  hours  later,  when  the  whole  caravan  was  wrapped 
in  unsuspecting  slumber,  a  party  of  savage  Tartars — 
ancient  enemies  of  this  particular  royal  family — 
brought  up  swiftly  and  silently  by  the  mysterious 
powers  of  the  Demon,  made  a  sudden  raid  upon  the 
sleeping  camp  ;  and  the  unfortunate  young  Prince, 
with  his  suite  and  followers,  was  taken  unawares, 
and  all  were  massacred  save  a  few  swift  runners  who 
managed  to  escape  and  to  bring  the  terrible  news 
to  Grusia.  Thus  did  the  Demon  dispose  of  the  rival 
in  his  path ;  and  he  now  hoped  that  his  pursuit  of 
the  fair  Tamara  would  end  in  conquest  and  joy  for 
himself — for,  strange  to  say,  the  passionate  love  he 
had  conceived  for  this  beautiful  maiden  was  a  real 
and  sincere  one,  and  he  even  ventured  to  hope  that 
if  he  could  win  her  love  in  return,  he  might  redeem 
himself  from  his  fallen  estate  and  thus  escape  from  the 
evil  influences  with  which  he  had  encompassed  himself. 
Meanwhile,  the  Court  of  Prince  Gudal  made  all  the 
necessary  preparations  for  the  approaching  nuptials 
of  the  royal  maiden  ;  and  on  the  day  of  the  marriage. 


*    >  >      > 


The  Preoccupied  Bride-elect. 

(Mile  Drusikina  as  Tamara.) 


O     (  C    «     «l  f 


THE  DEMON  i8i 


Tamara  stood  in  the  reception-hall  of  her  father's 
palace,  clothed  in  her  bridal  robes,  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  her  bridegroom,  of  whose  approach  news  had  been 
received  the  day  before. 

While  her  attendants  were  full  of  animation  and 
gaiety,  Tamara  herself  was  strangely  preoccupied. 
Though  she  anticipated  with  pleasure  the  meeting 
with  her  bridegroom,  for  whom  she  had  a  sincere  love, 
ever  since  her  meeting  in  the  valley  with  the  mysteri- 
ous stranger  who  had  laid  such  sudden  and  over- 
whelming siege  to  her  heart,  she  had  been  unable  to 
keep  her  mind  free  from  thoughts  of  him.  The 
beauty  of  his  person,  the  softly  tender  tones  of  his 
musical  voice,  his  deep  admiration  and  passionate 
wooing  haunted  her  constantly,  so  that  his  magnetic 
personality  seemed  ever  present  with  her  though  she 
saw  him  not,  and  she  could  not  forget  his  tempting 
pleading  words.  Consequently,  the  present  sounds  of 
revelry  seemed  to  her  far  away  and  to  be  unconnected 
with  herself.  When  the  lively  guests  from  the  ban- 
queting-tables  beyond  drained  goblets  of  wine  in  her 
honour,  it  was  with  a  great  effort  that  she  roused 
herself  sufficiently  to  acknowledge  their  greetings 
and  good  wishes  with  a  smile.  Even  when  a  number 
of  her  own  girl  friends  took  part  in  a  wild  fantastic 
dance  specially  arranged  and  devised  for  the  bridal 
festivities,  she  scarcely  noticed  the  mazy  rhythm  of  it ; 
and  leaving  the  applauding  guests  to  enjoy  the  spec- 
tacle, she  moved  aside  to  a  quieter  part  of  the  chamber, 
allowing  her  disturbing  thoughts  free  play  once  more. 

N 


i82  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  there  came  a  sudden  and 
tragic  interruption  to  the  revels.  Just  as  the  merry 
dance  came  to  an  end  and  the  guests  were  about  to 
drain  their  goblets  once  more  in  honour  of  the  nuptials 
of  their  host's  fair  daughter,  the  news  was  brought 
that  the  gallant  young  Prince  of  Sinodal  had  been 
surprised  and  slain  by  marauding  Tartars  the  night 
before,  and  that  his  corpse  was  even  now  being  brought 
to  the  castle. 

Immediately  the  gay  music  ceased,  giving  place  to 
wailings  and  cries  of  woe  ;  and  presently,  the  chanting 
of  a  funeral  dirge  was  heard  as  the  body  of  the  dead 
bridegroom  was  brought  into  the  chamber. 

With  despairing  cries,  the  grief-stricken  Tamara 
flung  herself  upon  the  body  of  her  beloved  one  and 
burst  into  passionate  weeping  ;  and  despite  the  pity- 
ing commiserations  of  her  royal  father  and  of  her 
many  girl  friends,  she  refused  to  be  comforted,  begging 
only  to  be  left  alone  with  her  dead  lover. 

When  the  guests  had  all  retired,  however,  Tamara 
was  instantly  confronted  with  a  fresh  trial.  No 
sooner  had  she  been  left  alone  than  she  heard  tender 
words  of  comfort  whispered  in  her  ear  by  the  same 
soft,  seductive  voice  that  had  haunted  her  continually 
since  her  meeting  with  the  stranger  in  the  valley, 
and,  looking  up  in  alarm,  she  once  more  beheld  that 
mysterious  being  standing  beside  her  with  out- 
stretched arms. 

Enthralled  against  her  will,  Tamara  listened  with  a 
beating  heart  as  the  Demon  sought  to  console  her 


THE  DEMON  183 


for  the  loss  of  her  betrothed  ;  but  when,  emboldened 
by  her  downcast  eyes  and  seeing  that  she  was  not 
indifferent  to  the  lure  of  his  irresistible  fascination, 
the  stranger  once  more  hotly  pressed  his  own  suit 
and  endeavoured  to  fold  her  in  a  passionate  embrace, 
she  was  again  terrified  and  fled  wildly  from  his 
presence. 

But,  wherever  she  went,  whether  alone  or  in  com- 
pany, the  words  of  the  Demon  still  rang  in  her  ears 
and  his  sinister  yet  alluring  presence  seemed  ever 
with  her,  pervading  her  every  thought.  At  length, 
feeling  that  her  power  of  resistance  was  weakening 
and  that  she  would  not  have  strength  to  refuse  his 
evil  desires  should  she  meet  him  in  person  again, 
realising  that  he  possessed  supernatural  powers, 
Tamara  sought  her  father  and  tearfully  entreated 
him  to  allow  her  to  enter  a  convent,  declaring  that 
now  her  betrothed  had  been  taken  from  her  she  only 
sought  oblivion,  the  world  and  its  pleasures  no  longer 
having  any  attraction  for  her. 

At  first.  Prince  Gudal  endeavoured  to  dissuade  his 
daughter  from  taking  the  veil,  offering  first  one 
objection  and  then  another,  as  he  desired  to  seek  for 
her  another  bridegroom  ;  but  seeing  that  she  was 
almost  distracted  with  grief  and  that  the  seclusion 
of  a  nunnery  alone  could  bring  her  peace  of  mind, 
he  finally  gave  his  consent,  and  the  unhappy  Tamara 
was  received  into  the  nearest  convent. 

Even  here,  however,  she  had  to  face  another  and 
final  terrible  conflict  ere  peace  was  vouchsafed  to 


i84  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

her  ;  for  the  Demon,  whose  passion  for  this  beautiful 
maiden  was  intense  and  overwhelming,  sought  her 
yet  once  again  even  in  the  sanctuary  in  which  she 
had  sought  refuge.  At  the  entrance  to  the  nunnery, 
he  found  his  way  barred  ;  but,  by  means  of  his  super- 
natural powers,  he  quickly  forced  an  entrance  and 
made  his  way  to  the  apartment  of  the  victim  he 
sought. 

Once  more  he  made  violent  protestations  of  love 
to  Tamara,  and,  now  revealing  to  her  his  true  identity 
as  a  demoniacally  possessed  mortal,  he  begged  her  to 
have  compassion  upon  him,  declaring  that  if  she 
would  return  his  love  he  would  forsake  the  ways 
of  evil  and  would,  for  her  sake,  even  humble  himself 
and  bow  once  more  to  the  Will  of  the  God  Whom, 
in  his  pride  and  disobedience,  he  had  offended.  The 
unhappy  girl  was  now  torn  by  conflicting  feelings, 
believing  that  this  strange  being's  seeming  penitence 
could  not  be  sincere,  yet  feeling  the  warmth  of  an 
answering  passion,  which  she  seemed  powerless  to 
resist,  enveloping  her  on  every  side. 

She  was  about  to  succumb  to  the  intoxicating  joy 
of  the  stranger's  unholy  love,  when,  as  the  Demon 
folded  her  in  a  close  embrace,  she  saw  the  evil  light 
of  triumph  in  his  burning  eyes  and  made  a  last 
frantic  effort  to  resist  his  influence  and  to  escape  from 
his  toils.  At  this  terrible  moment,  the  Angel  of  Light 
appeared  at  the  entrance  to  the  cell ;  and  Tamara, 
with  a  cry  of  relief  and  joy,  was  about  to  fly  to  Him 
for  protection,  when,  overcome  by  the  fearful  ordeal 


THE  DEMON  185 


through  which  she  had  just  passed,  her  overwrought 
strength  gave  way  and  she  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground. 

The  Demon,  seeing  that  his  hope  of  an  earthly  joy 
had  been  thus  snatched  from  his  evil  grasp,  and 
that,  in  addition,  he  had  lost  the  redemption  he  had 
sought,  was  filled  with  rage  and  despair  ;  and  renew- 
ing his  curses  against  mankind  and  all  the  heavenly 
hosts,  he  vanished  from  the  spot  amidst  the  lightnings 
and  tumults  of  a  terrible  storm.  At  the  same  moment 
the  Angel  of  Light  appeared,  bearing  aloft  with  him 
the  purified  spirit  of  the  love-rent  Tamara  to  rest  in 
peace  at  last. 


STRAVINSKY 


THE  NIGHTINGALE 

Many  thousands  of  years  ago,  there  hved  a  certain 
mighty  Emperor  of  China,  who  was  the  most  magni- 
ficent sovereign  on  earth.  He  Hved  in  a  wonderful 
palace  made  of  precious  porcelain  ;  and  the  throne 
he  sat  upon  was  all  of  solid  gold,  studded  with 
sparkling  gems.  His  robes  were  so  richly  jewelled 
and  so  stiff  with  gold  and  silver  threads  that  they 
would  stand  alone. 

So  luxurious  were  all  the  appurtenances  of  this 
Emperor's  Court  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  their 
like  before  ;  and  the  lords-in-waiting  were  very  nearly 
as  dazzling  in  appearance  as  the  Emperor  himself. 
This  was  especially  the  case  with  the  Lord  Chamber- 
lain, who  was  extremely  haughty  and  pompous  and 
held  his  aristocratic  head  so  high  up  in  the  air  that 
he  had  never  seen  the  ground  he  walked  upon  since 
he  was  a  child ;  and  when  any  one  of  a  lesser  rank 
than  his  own  spoke  to  him,  he  only  condescended  to 
answer  "  Pooh  !  " 

The  most  exquisite  flowers  grew  in  the  palace 
gardens,  and  they  all  had  silver  bells  attached  to 
them,  which  tinkled  in  the  soft  breezes ;  and  the 
garden  was  so  large  that  even  the  head  gardener 
did  not  know  where  it  ended.     The  furthest  point 

18G 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  187 

most  people  had  reached  in  this  enormously  large 
garden  had  brought  them  to  a  beautiful  forest, 
beyond  which  it  was  believed  that  the  blue  ocean 
rolled  ;  and  here,  amongst  the  tall  trees  on  the  borders 
of  this  forest,  dwelt  a  Nightingale,  who  had  the 
loveliest  voice  in  the  world  and  whose  magical  song 
could  charm  away  evil  and  bring  joy  to  the  saddest 
hearts. 

There  was  a  poor  Fisherman  who  came  all  the  way 
from  the  seashore  every  evening  for  the  sole  pleasure 
of  listening  to  the  sweet  singing  of  the  Nightingale  ; 
and  the  humble  folk  who  dwelt  round  about  loved  to 
listen  to  her  joyous  song,  which  made  them  forget 
their  troubles  for  the  time  being. 

And  many  travellers  who  came  past  that  way  were 
so  entranced  when  they  heard  the  thrilling  notes  of 
the  Nightingale  that  when  they  returned  to  their  own 
lands,  they  wrote  entire  books  about  it,  declaring  it 
to  be  the  most  wonderful  thing  they  had  come  across 
on  their  travels. 

Yet,  strange  to  say,  neither  the  Emperor  of  China 
himself,  nor  any  of  his  courtiers,  had  ever  heard  of  the 
little  bird  whose  fame  had  travelled  so  far  and  wide  ; 
and  it  was  not  until  he  had  read  a  description  of  the 
songstress's  powers  in  a  book  of  travels  sent  him  as 
a  present  by  the  Emperor  of  Japan,  that  the  mighty 
Ruler  of  China  learned  that  such  a  wonderful  creature 
existed  in  his  dominions. 

He  was  then  extremely  annoyed  that  he  had  never 
been  told  of  it  before ;   and  he  commanded  the  Lord 


i88  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Chamberlain  to  have  the  celebrated  songstress 
brought  to  Court  that  he  might  judge  of  her  voice 
for  himself. 

At  first,  the  pompous  Lord  Chamberlain  declared 
that,  not  knowing  the  abode  of  the  lady  in  question, 
he  was  afraid  he  could  not  gratify  this  sudden  wish 
of  his  lord  and  master ;  but  when  the  Emperor 
announced  angrily  that  unless  he  produced  the  bird 
that  evening,  he  and  all  his  fellow-courtiers  should 
be  trampled  upon,  he  bestirred  himself  at  once,  as 
he  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  being  trodden  under  foot 
by  the  royal  elephants,  even  though  the  latter  had 
their  tusks  gilded  and  wore  golden  bells  around  their 
big  ugly  feet. 

After  inquiring  in  vain  from  hundreds  of  people 
as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  Nightingale's  abode, 
the  Lord  Chamberlain  was  informed  by  a  little  kitchen- 
maid  that  she  knew  the  bird  well,  and  that,  as  she  went 
to  listen  to  its  song  every  evening,  she  would  gladly 
lead  him  to  the  haunt  of  the  songstress. 

So  the  Lord  Chamberlain  and  a  few  other  courtiers 
followed  the  little  kitchen-maid,  who  led  them  through 
the  palace  garden  to  the  borders  of  the  forest  beyond  ; 
and  after  mistaking  first  the  lowing  of  a  heifer  and 
then  the  croaking  of  the  frogs  in  the  marshes  for  the 
famous  singer,  they  at  last  heard  the  wonderful 
voice  of  the  Nightingale,  as  it  trilled  through  the 
woodland  depths. 

The  Lord  Chamberlain  was  so  amazed  and  over- 
joyed as  he  listened  to  the  magic  song,  that  he  lost 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  189 

his  breath  for  quite  a  minute  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
recovered  himself,  he  made  a  pompous  speech  and 
invited  the  Nightingale  to  come  to  Court  that  same 
evening,  to  sing  before  the  Emperor. 

"  Thank  you,  I  will  come  with  pleasure  !  "  replied 
the  Nightingale.  "  But  my  voice  really  sounds  very 
much  better  in  the  green  woods,  and  I  hope  His 
Majesty  will  not  be  disappointed  !  " 

The  coming  of  the  Nightingale  to  Court  was  the 
greatest  event  of  the  Emperor's  reign  ;  and  the  excite- 
ment in  the  palace  was  intense. 

When  the  Nightingale  arrived,  she  took  up  her 
stand  upon  the  golden  perch  which  had  been  pro- 
vided for  her  and  began  to  sing  at  once.  Everybody 
was  enchanted  with  the  wonderful  charm  of  her 
sweet  voice,  which  had  the  magic  power  of  making 
people  feel  intense  joy  or  sorrow  as  she  willed. 

There  were  tears  in  the  eyes  of  the  Emperor  when 
the  song  came  to  an  end  ;  and  the  Nightingale  had  to 
sing  again  to  chase  the  tears  away  and  to  make  him 
smile. 

The  plain  little  brown  and  grey  bird  now  became 
the  rage,  and  was  established  as  Chief  Musician  at 
Court,  with  many  lords  and  ladies  to  wait  upon  her  ; 
and  she  was  only  allowed  to  go  out  into  the  garden 
once  at  night  and  twice  in  the  daytime.  So  much 
admiration  did  she  attract  that  all  the  Court  ladies 
became  quite  jealous,  and  vainly  attempted  to  sing 
in  shakes  and  trills  that  they  also  might  be  regarded 
as  Nightingales  ;    and  there  was  nothing  else  talked 


190  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

of  but  the  new  songstress.  Even  the  common  people 
were  allowed  to  hear  her  occasionally  ;  and  the  little 
kitchen-maid  often  stood  at  the  scullery  door  to  listen 
while  the  performance  was  taking  place. 

Then,  just  when  the  new  singer's  popularity  was  at 
its  height,  a  second  gift  arrived  from  the  Emperor  of 
Japan,  which  turned  out  to  be  a  clockwork  Nightingale 
made  of  precious  gems  which  sparkled  at  every  turn, 
and  which,  when  wound  up,  could  sing  pretty  tunes. 
True,  these  tunes  were  only  waltzes  and  were  quite 
mechanical ;  but  the  jewelled  bird's  outward  appear- 
ance was  so  gorgeous  and  dazzling,  and  the  clock- 
work apparatus  inside  its  body  which  produced  the 
tunes  appeared  so  marvellous  to  the  Emperor  and  his 
courtiers,  that  it  was  at  once  appointed  Imperial 
Court  Singer,  being  voted  much  more  wonderful 
than  the  real  Nightingale,  whose  sombre  garb  had 
never  been  wholly  approved  of,  though  her  voice  had 
enchanted  all. 

So  the  plain  little  bird,  surprised  and  hurt  by  the 
ingratitude  of  man,  flew  away  to  her  beloved  wood- 
lands once  more,  where  she  again  sang  sweetly  every 
night  to  the  humble  Fisherman  and  to  the  kindly 
country  folk  ;  and  the  gaudy  artificial  Nightingale 
became  the  craze  of  the  Emperor  and  his  Court. 

The  popularity  of  the  new  toy  lasted  quite  a  long 
time  ;  and  then,  one  day,  its  mainspring  broke,  and 
it  was  found  to  be  nearly  worn-out.  The  royal 
clockmaker  mended  and  patched  it  up  as  best  he 
could  ;  but  it  was  never  the  same  again,  and  its  wheels 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  191 

were  worn  so  thin  that  it  was  only  allowed  to  be 
wound  up  to  sing  occasionally  on  the  most  important 
festivals. 

The  Emperor  was  so  upset  at  this  catastrophe  that 
he  lost  not  only  his  good  spirits  but  his  appetite  as 
well ;  and,  at  last,  he  became  so  extremely  ill  that  he 
was  expected  to  die  any  minute.  The  order  was  given 
out  for  his  coming  funeral,  and  a  new  Emperor  even 
was  chosen  to  be  in  readiness  to  succeed  him. 

While  these  dismal  preparations  were  taking  place, 
the  sick  Emperor  lay  upon  his  bed,  pale  and  wan, 
with  the  spectral  form  of  Death  sitting  at  his  bedside  ; 
and  the  shades  of  his  Good  and  Evil  Deeds  hovered 
around  and  peeped  at  him  from  behind  the  bed- 
hangings.  The  royal  invalid  was  just  on  the  point  of 
expiring,  when,  suddenly,  he  heard  the  sound  of  the 
most  beautiful  music  floating  in  through  the  open 
window,  and,  to  his  joy,  recognised  the  sweet  song  of 
the  little  bird  whom  he  had  treated  with  such  in- 
gratitude. 

It  was  indeed  the  humble  little  Nightingale,  who, 
having  heard  of  her  Imperial  admirer's  illness,  had 
come,  out  of  the  kindness  of  her  heart — and  not 
because  he  deserved  it — to  sing  to  him,  and  to  heal 
him  with  her  magical  voice ;  and  as  the  Emperor 
lay  back  in  bed  and  listened  to  the  wonderful  sounds, 
his  pains  left  him,  his  vitality  returned,  and  he  began 
to  feel  better. 

Even  the  gaunt  visage  of  Death  showed  delight  as 
he  Ustened  to  the  song  of  the  Nightingale  ;   and  the 


192  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

sinister  visitor  begged  her  to  continue  her  song, 
promising  to  depart  at  daybreak,  if  she  would  con- 
sent to  do  so.  The  Nightingale  gladly  agreed  to 
this  bargain,  singing  joyfully  all  the  night  through  ; 
and  at  daybreak,  Death  and  his  shadowy  spirits 
departed  and  the  Emperor  arose  from  his  couch, 
cured  of  his  sickness  and  in  the  best  of  health. 

As  soon  as  he  had  arrayed  himself  in  his  royal  robes, 
and  had  put  the  crown  upon  his  head  once  more,  he 
thanked  the  Nightingale  for  having  saved  his  life 
by  her  soothing  song,  and  entreated  her  to  take  up 
her  abode  at  Court  once  more ;  but  the  humble 
little  songstress  replied  :  "  Nay,  my  lord,  I  am  not 
a  courtier,  but  a  creature  of  the  wilds,  loving  the 
beauties  of  Nature.  My  home  must  be  in  the  forest ; 
but  I  will  come  and  sing  to  you  every  night,  and  I 
will  tell  you  wonderful  secrets,  too,  if  you  will  promise 
never  to  let  any  one  know  that  it  is  a  little  bird  who 
tells  you  everything  !  " 

The  Emperor  gladly  gave  the  promise  asked  by  the 
Nightingale,  and  retired  to  his  bed  once  more ;  and 
then,  as  the  funeral  procession  approached,  and  his 
courtiers,  robed  in  mourning  garments,  entered  the 
chamber  in  order  to  bear  him  away  to  his  burial, 
believing  that  he  must  surely  have  died  during  the 
night,  as  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  expiring  when  last 
they  saw  him,  he  thrust  aside  the  curtains  and  greeted 
the  astonished  beholders  with  a  hearty  "  Good- 
morning  !  " 


TCHAIKOVSKT 


EUGENE   ONIEGIN 

It  was  a  warm  evening  in  the  late  autumn,  and 
Madame  Larina,  a  wealthy  landowner  in  Russia, 
was  sitting  in  the  garden  of  her  beautiful  country 
house,  busily  engaged  upon  the  homely  task  of 
peeling  and  picking  fruit,  in  which  occupation  she 
was  assisted  by  an  old  nurse  named  Philipjevna. 
Through  the  open  windows  of  the  mansion  close  by 
came  the  sound  of  the  happy  singing  of  her  two  fair 
young  daughters,  Olga  and  Tatiana  ;  and  as  she 
listened  to  their  song,  the  mother's  heart  was  filled  with 
sympathy  and  tender  recollection,  for  the  song  was 
one  she  had  herself  sung  in  the  days  of  her  youth. 

Twilight  was  fast  closing  around,  and  presently 
a  band  of  merry  peasants  came  trooping  into  the 
grounds,  carrying  sheaves  of  com,  which  they  pre- 
sented to  Madame  Larina,  for  to-day  was  the  last  of 
the  harvest  and  they  had  come  to  lay  their  customary 
tribute  at  the  feet  of  their  benefactress. 

Madame  Larina  received  the  peasants  with  great 
kindness,  inviting  them  to  sing  and  dance  before  her 
and  to  partake  of  the  refreshment  she  had  ordered 
to  be  prepared  for  them.  So  the  lively  youths  and 
maidens,  notwithstanding  their  weariness  after  a 
long  day's  toil,  began  to  go  through  the  mazy  figures 

193 


194  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

of  a  country  dance  upon  the  lawn,  singing  a  merry 
harvest  song  as  an  accompaniment. 

On  hearing  the  song  of  the  peasants,  Olga  and 
Tatiana  came  out  into  the  garden  and  stood  beside 
their  mother,  Hstening  to  the  singing  and  watching 
the  dance  with  interest. 

The  two  sisters,  though  both  fair  to  look  upon, 
presented  a  great  contrast  to  each  other  ;  for  whereas 
the  elder,  Olga,  was  light-hearted,  matter-of-fact, 
and  frivolous,  loving  gaiety  and  amusement,  Tatiana, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  dreamy,  romantic,  and  retiring, 
caring  little  for  the  usual  excitements  of  youth,  but 
preferring  to  wander  off  alone  to  read  in  solitude  or  to 
indulge  in  day-dreams. 

This  difference  in  disposition  was  shown  now,  as 
they  emerged  from  the  house  ;  for  Olga,  exhilarated 
by  the  lively  music,  was  ready  enough  to  join  the 
peasants  in  their  merry  revels,  but  Tatiana,  in  whom 
the  music  had  awakened  more  romantic  thoughts, 
retired  to  a  quiet  corner  of  the  terrace  to  read  a 
favourite  book  and  to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the 
twilight. 

Seeing  that  her  young  daughter  was  more  than 
usually  quiet  and  dreamy  this  evening,  Madame 
Larina,  with  motherly  solicitude,  approached  to 
nquire  if  anything  troubled  her  ;  but  Tatiana  de- 
clared that  nothing  ailed  her,  and  that  she  was  but 
deeply  interested  in  her  book  and  in  her  own  musings. 

When  the  peasants  had  finished  their  dance,  they 
trooped  away  again  to  partake  of  their  patroness's 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  195 

hospitality  ;  and  immediately  afterwards,  a  carriage 
arrived,  from  which  alighted  two  gentlemen  who 
lived  in  the  neighbourhood.  These  were  Vladimir 
Lenski,  a  young  nobleman  who  was  betrothed  to 
Olga,  and  his  friend,  Eugene  Oniegin,  who,  although 
he  owned  land  in  the  district,  yet  was  unknown  to 
Madame  Larina  and  her  daughters. 

At  sight  of  the  stranger,  the  shy  and  timid  Tatiana 
would  have  retired  to  the  house,  but  was  detained  by 
her  mother  ;  and  a  few  moments  later,  Lenski  came 
forward  to  greet  the  ladies,  at  the  same  time  intro- 
ducing his  friend. 

Oniegin  was  a  handsome  man,  who  had  seen  much 
of  the  world  and  possessed  an  interesting,  fascinating 
and  even  mysterious  personality  ;  and  as  the  im- 
pressionable Tatiana  lifted  her  timid  eyes  and  gazed 
shyly  upon  him,  she  was  strangely  attracted  by  him, 
feeling  that  he  was  the  very  impersonation  of  the 
romantic  hero  of  her  girlish  dreams.  Oniegin,  too, 
was  interested  in  the  pensive  girl,  who  attracted  him 
more  than  did  the  laughing  Olga  ;  and  entering  into 
conversation  with  her,  they  presently  strolled  into 
the  garden  together. 

Lenski  was  overjoyed  at  finding  himself  alone  with 
his  beloved  Olga,  and  poured  forth  passionate  pro- 
testations of  devotion  into  her  ear,  which,  although 
she  received  them  with  merry  bantering,  were  never- 
theless pleasing  to  his  fiancee  ;  and  the  time  passed 
all  too  quickly  for  the  happy  lovers. 

Presently,   however,   Madame   Larina  reappeared, 


196  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

calling  them  to  the  evening  meal  which  was  now 
ready ;  and  as  the  lovers  retired  to  the  house, 
Tatiana  and  Oniegin  emerged  from  the  garden,  deep 
in  conversation,  and  passed  in  after  them. 

Tatiana,  in  spite  of  her  shyness,  had  found  intense 
enjoyment  in  the  society  of  Oniegin  ;  and  although 
his  conversation  revealed  him  to  be  a  world-weary 
cynic,  with  little  belief  in  human  goodness,  yet  his 
curious  melancholy  and  his  fascinating  personality 
thrilled  her  intensely,  so  that  her  heart  beat  with 
a  strange  delirious  joy  that  would  not  be  suppressed. 
As  the  night  advanced,  this  sudden  passion  grew  more 
and  more  intensified  ;  and  when  at  last  she  retired 
to  her  chamber,  her  agitation  was  so  great  that  she 
could  restrain  her  feelings  no  longer. 

The  old  nurse,  who  had  accompanied  her  to  attend 
to  her  wants,  endeavoured  to  soothe  the  young  girl, 
seeing  that  she  was  overwrought ;  but  she  found  her 
task  a  hard  one,  for  Tatiana  insisted  on  hearing  the 
story  of  Philipjevna's  own  love  and  betrothal  and 
was  not  to  be  diverted  from  this  all-enthralling  sub- 
ject. The  old  dame,  therefore,  described  the  events 
connected  with  her  marriage,  which  were  prosaic  and 
unromantic  enough ;  for,  according  to  the  usual 
custom  of  the  Russian  peasantry,  a  husband  had  been 
chosen  for  her,  and  she  had  been  bidden  to  wed  him, 
the  short  courtship  being  a  mere  matter  of  form  and 
the  question  of  love  having  had  nothing  whatever  to 
do  with  the  transaction. 

Tatiana,  however,  paid  little  heed  to  the  story  she 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  197 

had  asked  for,  being  too  much  engrossed  with  her 
own  conflicting  emotions ;  and  as  the  recital  came  to 
an  end,  she  desired  the  old  nurse  to  bring  writing 
materials  into  the  room  and  then  retire. 

Philipjevna,  thinking  it  best  to  humour  the  young 
girl,  obeyed  her  behest  at  once  ;  and  having  placed 
writing  materials  on  the  table,  she  kissed  her  nursling 
tenderly  and  left  the  room,  hoping  that  sleep  and 
pleasant  dreams  would  restore  her  to  calmness  by  the 
morning. 

But  sleep  was  very  far  from  the  thoughts  of  the 
agitated  Tatiana  ;  for,  unable  to  restrain  her  feelings 
any  longer,  she  had  determined  to  write  a  letter  to 
Eugene  Oniegin,  confessing  the  passionate  love  she 
had  conceived  for  him  and  asking  him  to  grant  her 
a  meeting  in  the  grounds  next  day.  For  a  long  time 
conflicting  thoughts  assailed  her,  maidenly  modesty 
and  natural  reticence  struggling  with  her  newly- 
born  love  and  the  desire  to  have  it  returned ;  but  at 
length  the  intensity  of  her  passion  overcame  all  other 
feelings,  and,  seizing  a  pen,  she  began  to  write.  But 
even  now,  when  her  decision  was  made,  she  found  it  a 
difficult  task  to  put  her  overwhelming  thoughts  upon 
the  paper  ;  and  many  were  the  sheets  she  destroyed 
and  the  new  attempts  she  made. 

The  night  crept  on,  but  Tatiana  was  heedless  of 
the  passing  hours  ;  and  at  length,  as  the  first  signs  of 
dawn  appeared,  she  finished  the  letter,  and,  with 
trembling  hands  and  much  misgiving,  placed  it  in  an 
envelope  ready  to  be  delivered. 

o 


198  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

The  letter  was  characteristic  of  the  girl's  disposition, 
and  every  line  breathed  the  sweet  trustfulness  that 
had  prompted  its  writing.  It  was  the  simple  out- 
pouring of  a  generous  romantic  nature,  and  the  depth 
and  intensity  of  passion  it  revealed  but  proved  the 
value  of  the  gift  offered — the  gift  of  a  pure  young 
girl's  love. 

Having  sealed  the  letter,  Tatiana  went  up  to  the 
window,  and,  drawing  aside  the  curtains,  pensively 
watched  the  rosy  dawn  of  another  beautiful  autumn 
morning  ;  and  a  short  time  afterwards,  Philipjevna 
came  in  to  awaken  her,  according  to  her  usual  custom. 
Amazed  to  find  her  young  mistress  already  dressed, 
the  old  nurse  hurried  forward  to  greet  her,  noticing 
with  alarm  that  the  bed  had  not  been  slept  in  ;  but 
Tatiana,  scarcely  waiting  for  her  greeting,  hastily 
placed  in  her  hand  the  letter  she  had  written,  and 
nervously  entreated  her  to  have  it  conveyed  to 
Eugene  Oniegin  without  delay. 

At  first  the  nurse  hesitated,  knowing  that  this  was 
an  extraordinary  request ;  but  seeing  that  the  girl 
was  still  in  a  state  of  nervous  excitement,  she  again 
thought  it  best  to  humour  her,  so  took  the  note  and 
promised  to  have  it  delivered  at  once. 

As  soon  as  Philipjevna  had  left  the  room,  Tatiana 
buried  her  face  in  her  hands,  half-regretting  that  she 
had  sent  the  letter  and  wondering  if  Oniegin  would 
grant  her  the  appointment  she  had  asked  for,  first 
hoping  that  he  would  come  to  the  trysting-place  and 
the  next  moment  praying  that  he  would  not. 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  199 

However,  later  in  the  day,  as  the  time  appointed 
for  the  meeting  drew  near,  she  gathered  her  courage 
together  and  went  out  into  the  garden,  with  doubt 
and  longing  in  her  heart,  trembling  at  the  thought  of 
what  the  result  of  her  interview  would  be,  fearing 
lest  her  love  should  be  scorned  yet  equally  full  of 
shy  fears  should  it  be  returned. 

As  she  appeared  in  the  garden,  she  found  that  a 
group  of  village  maidens  were  continuing  their  harvest 
festivities  by  indulging  in  further  merry  songs  and 
dances  on  the  lawn  ;  but  presently  they  departed  to 
another  part  of  the  grounds,  leaving  Tatiana  alone, 
and  a  few  moments  later  Eugene  Oniegin  appeared  and 
came  towards  her. 

In  the  presence  of  the  man  she  now  loved  so  passion- 
ately, Tatiana's  little  stock  of  courage  entirely  for- 
sook her,  leaving  her  trembling ;  and  she  would 
certainly  have  run  away  again  had  not  Oniegin 
peremptorily  bidden  her  to  remain.  Then,  drawing 
nearer  to  the  agitated  girl,  he  told  her  gently  that  he 
had  received  and  read  her  letter  ;  and  he  added  that 
because  she  had  been  so  frank  with  him,  he  would, 
in  return,  be  equally  frank  with  her. 

He  then  went  on  to  declare  in  passionless  tones, 
yet  half-regretfully,  that  he  was  too  world-weary  to 
accept  the  fresh  young  love  she  had  to  offer  and  that 
he  was  neither  worthy  to  receive  so  generous  a  gift 
nor  had  he  a  like  passion  to  give  in  return. 

As  the  trembling  Tatiana  listened  to  these  cold, 
unresponsive  words,  each  one  of  which  wounded  her 


200  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

deeply,  she  felt  crushed  to  the  earth  ;  and,  overcome 
with  grief  and  shame,  she  buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 
Oniegin,  sorry  for  the  pain  he  was  thus  inflicting  upon 
the  heart  of  this  romantic  girl,  now  bade  her,  in  a 
more  tender  tone  than  he  had  yet  used,  to  restrain  her 
feelings,  since  another,  less  conscientious  than  himself, 
might  take  advantage  of  such  impulsiveness  for  his 
own  selfish  ends  ;  and  then,  taking  her  by  the  hand, 
he  led  her  into  the  house  as  though  she  had  been  a 
little  child. 

A  short  time  after  these  events,  Madame  Larina 
gave  a  splendid  ball  in  honour  of  Tatiana's  eighteenth 
birthday,  and  all  the  young  people  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood were  invited  to  join  in  the  festivities,  pro- 
minent amongst  the  guests  being  Lenski  and  his 
friend  Eugene  Oniegin. 

The  entertainment  was  an  elegant  one,  and  the 
assemblage  brilliant ;  but  Oniegin  found  it  dull  and 
was  frankly  bored.  He  passed  most  of  his  time  with 
Tatiana,  for  the  impressionable  girl  still  interested 
him  ;  but  Tatiana  was  restless  and  silent,  and  at 
last  he  left  her  to  her  own  reflections,  seeing  that  she 
seemed  ill  at  ease  with  him. 

Being  now  more  bored  than  ever,  he  felt  annoyed 
with  Lenski  for  having  persuaded  him  to  come  ;  and 
presently  he  sought  and  found  a  means  for  paying  off 
this  small  grudge  against  his  friend.  Seeing  the 
pretty,  smiling  Olga  approaching  at  the  moment,  he 
invited  her  to  dance  with  him  several  times,  including 
the  cotillion  she  had  promised  to  her  fiance  ;    and 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  201 

Olga,  being  by  nature  a  daring  coquette,  gaily  accepted 
his  attentions  with  such  evident  pleasure  that  Lenski's 
brow  grew  black  with  disappointment  and  jealousy, 
for  he  loved  her  passionately  and  could  brook  no 
rival  in  his  affections.  Full  of  gloom,  he  watched  the 
pair  as  they  danced  through  the  intricate  figures  of 
the  cotillion,  noting  with  increasing  anger  the  many 
roguish  glances  bestowed  by  the  coquettish  Olga 
upon  her  partner  ;  and  when  the  cotillion  came  to  an 
end,  unable  to  restrain  his  jealous  feelings  any  longer, 
he  openly  accused  Oniegin  of  endeavouring  to  steal 
away  the  affection  of  his  fiancee,  and,  before  all  the 
guests,  furiously  challenged  him  to  give  him  satisfac- 
tion and  to  fight  with  him  on  the  morrow. 

At  first,  Oniegin  tried  to  laugh  the  matter  off, 
declaring  that  he  had  had  no  thought  of  doing  his 
friend  a  wrong  ;  and  Olga,  now  frightened  and  full 
of  remorse  that  her  giddy  conduct  should  have  thus 
been  the  means  of  causing  strife,  also  implored  her 
fiance  to  calm  himself  and  to  think  no  more  of  the 
matter. 

But  Lenski's  jealous  passion  could  not  be  restrained, 
and  he  continued  to  pour  such  angry  reproaches  and 
stinging  taunts  upon  Oniegin,  that  the  latter  at  length 
lost  control  of  himself  also,  and,  goaded  beyond 
bearing,  angrily  accepted  the  challenge.  The  guests, 
alarmed  and  dismayed,  at  once  took  a  hurried  depar- 
ture, and  the  ball,  which  had  commenced  so  brightly, 
ended  in  confusion  and  gloom. 

Early  next  morning,  Lenski  and  Oniegin,  with  their 


202  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

seconds,  met  in  a  retired  part  of  the  grounds  ;  and 
there,  with  all  the  usual  ceremonious  etiquette,  the 
duel  was  fought.  Both  felt  sad  at  the  thought  that 
their  long  and  happy  friendship  should  end  in  this 
terrible  way,  and  longed  to  utter  the  one  word  that 
would  have  reconciled  them  ;  but  pride  kept  their 
lips  sealed,  and,  when  the  signal  was  given,  they  raised 
their  pistols  and  fired  instantaneously. 

Lenski  fell  to  the  ground  at  once  ;  and  when  Onie- 
gin,  who  was  untouched,  ran  forward  with  the  seconds 
and  clasped  him  in  his  arms,  he  found,  to  his  horror, 
that  he  was  dead. 

Full  of  grief  and  remorse  that  he  had  thus  for  the 
sake  of  a  foolish  code  of  honour  slain  the  dearest 
friend  of  his  youth,  Oniegin,  dazed  and  miserable, 
left  the  neighbourhood  at  once ;  and  for  several 
years  afterwards  he  wandered  restlessly  from  country 
to  country,  in  the  vain  endeavour  to  drown  the  tor- 
menting regrets  and  harrowing  recollections  that 
haunted  his  brain. 

But  neither  change  of  scene  nor  wildest  adventure 
could  succeed  in  bringing  any  comfort  or  peace  to  his 
wounded  and  remorseful  heart ;  and  at  last,  over- 
ruled by  an  irresistible  longing  to  return  to  the  scene 
of  his  trouble,  he  travelled  to  Russia  once  more,  and 
upon  arriving  in  the  capital,  was  sought  out  by  his  old 
friends  and  induced  to  remain  there  for  a  while.  On 
receiving  an  invitation  to  a  magnificent  ball  from  one 
of  his  near  relations,  Prince  Gremin,  a  nobleman  of 
high  position  and  honour,  he  was  persuaded  to  accept 


\ 


Unhappy  Memories. 

(D.  A.  Smirnoff  as  Eugene  Oniegin.^ 


1.         fc    •    1.       <     .        , 
•      »     •    -  -  e    t       c- 


1         C    4    C      «^  C 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  203 

this  ;   and  when  the  evening  arrived,  he  proceeded  to 
attend  the  function,  though  somewhat  against  his  will. 

But  even  such  a  brilliant  scene  as  this  could  not 
bring  distraction  to  the  torn  and  weary  heart  of 
Eugene  Oniegin  ;  and  as  he  wandered  restlessly  from 
room  to  room,  his  self-accusing  thoughts  still  haunted 
him  and  the  memory  of  the  fatal  duel  was  again 
pictured  in  his  mind  as  vividly  as  ever.  Presently, 
however,  he  noticed  a  stir  among  the  guests  and  a 
subdued  murmur  of  admiration  ;  and  following  their 
gaze,  he  saw  that  the  centre  of  their  attraction  was  a 
beautiful  young  woman,  richly  clad  and  sparkling 
with  jewels,  who  was  passing  from  one  group  to  an- 
other with  easy  dignity,  bestowing  smiles  and  gracious 
words  on  all.  A  second  glance  revealed  to  Oniegin 
that  this  brilliant  figure  was  Tatiana,  the  young 
daughter  of  Madame  Larina,  the  romantic  maiden  who 
had  so  impulsively  offered  him  her  fresh  girlish  love 
a  few  years  ago — Tatiana,  no  longer  a  dreamy  child, 
but  grown  into  a  lovely,  soulful  woman,  gracious  and 
self-controlled,  moving  with  queenly  dignity  amidst 
this  dazzling  array  of  fair  women. 

Quite  recently  Tatiana  had  been  taken  from 
her  quiet  country  home  to  become  the  admired  wife 
of  Prince  Gremin,  who,  though  many  years  her 
senior,  yet  loved  her  tenderly  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  make  her  happy  ;  and  the  fair  young  girl,  though 
she  could  not  give  him  love,  yet  made  him  a  dutiful 
and  devoted  wife  and  had  soon  learned  to  bear  her 
exalted  position  with  becoming  dignity. 


204  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

As  Oniegin  gazed  once  again  upon  Tatiana,  always 
interesting  to  him,  but  doubly  so  now  in  her  matured 
beauty  with  all  her  natural  charms  of  mind,  body  and 
disposition  intensified  a  hundredfold,  his  heart  sud- 
denly throbbed  with  a  new  and  strange  feeling  of 
exaltation  ;  and  he  who  had  thought  himself  dead  to 
all  passion,  suddenly  felt  his  pulses  quicken  and  a 
thrill  of  keenest  joy  pass  through  his  whole  being. 

His  emotion  increased  presently  when  Prince 
Gremin  brought  his  beautiful  young  wife  forward  and 
introduced  her  to  him  with  pride  and  affection  ;  for 
although  Tatiana  greeted  him  with  easy  calm  and 
even  coldness,  making  no  attempt  to  hide  their  former 
acquaintance,  the  intense  look  of  repressed  passion  in 
her  deep,  tender  eyes  told  him  plainly  that  her  feel- 
ing for  him  had  not  altered,  but,  indeed,  had  deepened 
with  her  growth.  As  she  moved  away  again  on  the 
arm  of  her  husband,  Oniegin  felt  the  sharp  pangs  of 
jealousy  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  and  knew  that 
he  now  loved  this  woman  with  his  whole  heart ;  and 
he  was  seized  with  a  passionate  desire  to  possess  the 
love  he  had  once  refused. 

Unable  to  restrain  his  overwhelming  feelings,  he 
determined  to  declare  himself  at  all  costs ;  and, 
making  his  way  to  a  retired  spot,  he  waited  until 
Tatiana  came  past  that  way  alone.  Then,  hastening 
towards  her,  trembling  with  emotion,  he  told  her  of  his 
love  and  implored  her  to  grant  him  hers  in  return  ; 
but  Tatiana  reminded  him  bitterly  that  he  had  slighted 
her  proffered  affection  years  ago,  treating  it  as  the 


EUGENE  ONIEGIN  205 

mere  fancy  of  a  sentimental  girl  and  had  even  blamed 
her  for  her  boldness.  Cut  to  the  quick  by  this  just 
retort,  Oniegin  sank  to  his  knees  and  begged  her  with 
increasing  emotion  to  have  pity  and  to  grant  him  the 
love  he  now  longed  for  above  all  things  ;  and  his 
pleading  was  so  powerful  that  Tatiana,  unable  to  keep 
up  her  pretence  of  coldness  any  longer,  admitted  that 
her  passion  for  him  was  still  the  same,  and  for  a  few 
moments  a  feeling  of  delirious  joy  surged  through  her 
heart  at  the  thought  that  her  love  was  at  last  returned. 
But  when  Oniegin  next  entreated  her  to  depart  with 
him  at  once,  that  they  might  yet  be  happy  together, 
theirs  being  a  love  that  could  not  be  denied,  then  the 
young  wife  declared  in  broken  accents  that  she  would 
remain  faithful  to  her  husband,  no  matter  how  hard 
it  might  be  to  refuse  the  pleading  of  the  man  she 
loved. 

Again  and  again  Oniegin  besought  her  to  obey  the 
dictates  of  her  heart ;  but  Tatiana,  though  tempted 
almost  beyond  endurance,  still  brokenly,  yet  firmly, 
refused,  and  then,  fearing  to  remain  longer  lest  her 
resolution  should  break  down,  fled  away  from  his 
presence  with  a  last  distracted  look. 

Immediately  afterwards,  the  guests  were  startled  by 
the  sound  of  a  pistol  shot ;  and,  upon  hastening  to  the 
alcove,  they  were  horrified  to  discover  Oniegin  lying 
dead  upon  the  floor,  his  despair  on  realising  that  the 
happiness  he  desired  could  never  now  be  his  having 
proved  more  than  he  could  endure. 


TCHAIKOVSKY 


lOLANTA 

About  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  in  a 
secluded  valley  amidst  the  hills  of  Provence,  there 
was  to  be  seen  an  exquisite  garden,  so  full  of  beauty 
that  to  gaze  upon  it  seemed  almost  like  taking  a  peep 
into  the  wonderful  fairyland  of  childhood's  days. 
Masses  of  roses  and  other  lovely  flowers  blossomed 
in  profusion  on  every  side  ;  fruit-trees  grew  luxuri- 
antly among  the  flowers  ;  and  splendid  vines  twined 
about  the  trellises  placed  in  the  sunniest  part  of  the 
grounds. 

In  the  midst  of  this  wonderful  garden,  there  arose 
a  small  one-storied  dwelling,  handsomely  appointed 
within  and  without.  In  front  of  the  house  there 
stretched  a  flower-gemmed  terrace,  beneath  which  was 
to  be  seen  a  wall  overgrown  with  ivy  and  other  climb- 
ing plants,  concealing  a  door  which  led  to  a  summer 
bower  within. 

The  approach  to  this  little  earthly  paradise  was 
hidden  by  the  heavy  undergrowth  and  was  not 
readily  to  be  discovered  ;  for  all  around,  even  to  the 
distant  mountains,  the  country  was  wild  and  rugged, 
and  no  one  would  have  dreamed  of  finding  so  refreshing 
an  oasis  in  such  an  unlikely  wilderness. 

•200 


lOLANTA  207 


But,  though  an  air  of  mystery  overhung  the  spot, 
as  though  it  were  the  abode  of  some  enchanted  Princess 
in  a  fairy-tale,  joyful  life  and  beauty  dwelt  therein  ; 
and  one  glorious  summer  afternoon,  the  fair  maiden 
whose  home  it  was  might  have  been  seen  wandering 
as  usual  in  her  blossoming  garden  with  her  nurse  and 
girl  companions.  Lovely  though  her  surroundings 
were,  the  maiden  herself  was  the  fairest  blossom  of 
all.  The  fresh  pink  roses  were  not  more  delicately 
tinted  than  were  her  softly-rounded  cheeks  ;  the  tall 
white  lilies  were  not  more  graceful  than  her  slender 
form,  and  could  scarcely  vie  with  the  purity  of  her 
smooth  brow  ;  and  her  soft  dewy  eyes  and  shining 
tresses  seemed  but  reflections  of  the  sky  and  dazzling 
sunshine. 

The  divinity  to  be  worshipped  at  this  secret  shrine 
was  certainly  more  than  worthy  of  her  surroundings ; 
yet  as  she  moved  among  her  companions  and  joined 
in  their  games  and  amusements,  the  tragedy  of  her 
existence  became  apparent.  The  girls  had  all  brought 
baskets  with  them  into  the  garden,  and  every  now 
and  again  would  stop  to  place  in  them  various  flowers 
and  fruits  from  the  choicest  plots  ;  but  when  their 
lovely  mistress  wished  to  do  likewise,  they  guided  her 
hands  in  the  right  direction  and  gently  pulled  down  the 
branches  and  briers  until  her  slender  fingers  felt  and 
closed  over  the  luscious  fruit.  The  Princess  of  this 
fairy-like  abode  was  not  enchanted,  as  one  might  have 
readily  imagined ;  but  she  was  blind  !  For  that 
reason  she  had  been  kept  hidden  away  from  the  world 


2o8  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

and  brought  up  in  this  lonely  but  lovely  spot,  the 
beauties  of  which,  however,  were  only  known  to  her 
by  her  marvellously  acute  senses  of  touch  and  hearing  ; 
and  with  only  a  few  faithful  servants  around  her, 
she  had  never  learned  the  truth  of  her  infirmit}^  and 
did  not  know  the  meaning  of  sight. 

Such  was  lolanta,  the  blind  daughter  of  Rene, 
King  of  Naples  and  Count  of  Provenge  ;  and  as  she 
occupied  herself  with  her  companions  on  the  after- 
noon on  which  this  story  commences,  she  little 
dreamed  that  the  uneventfulness  of  her  life  was  at 
last  to  be  broken  and  that  within  the  next  few  hours 
her  destiny  would  be  changed. 

lolanta  had  not  been  born  blind ;  and  while  she  was 
still  an  infant.  King  Ren^  had  been  engaged  in  an 
ancient  feud  that  had  existed  for  many  years  between 
his  family  and  the  Dukes  of  Burgundy.  Both  sides 
having  grown  heartily  weary  of  the  struggle,  the 
reigning  Duke  proposed  at  this  time  to  his  hereditary 
enemy  that  they  should  agree  to  bury  the  hatchet  and 
to  seal  the  compact  of  their  renewed  friendship  by  the 
betrothal  of  his  only  son  to  the  newly-born  Princess 
lolanta,  whose  budding  infantile  charms  already  gave 
promise  of  wonderful  beauty  later  on. 

The  compact  was  readily  entered  into  by  King 
Rene,  and  the  betrothal  contract  of  the  children  was 
duly  drawn  up  and  signed.  Then,  shortly  after- 
wards, a  terrible  misfortune  befell  the  King  of  Naples, 
which  threatened  to  destroy  all  his  plans  and  hopes 
of  a  peaceful  future  and  to  plunge  him  once  more  into 


lOLANTA  209 

a  renewed  feud  with  his  haughty  and  powerful  neigh- 
bour. One  night,  a  fire  broke  out  in  his  palace,  and 
the  flames  gained  so  rapidly  in  the  apartments  of  the 
baby  Princess  that  at  first  it  was  feared  she  could  not 
be  saved  from  death.  It  was  impossible  to  get  her 
out  of  the  blazing  apartment  ;  and  in  the  last  ex- 
tremity, as  a  final  attempt  at  rescue,  the  terrified 
babe  was  dropped  out  of  the  window  from  a  great 
height  and  caught  into  willing  arms  below.  Her  life 
was  thus  saved  ;  but,  to  the  grief  of  her  royal  father, 
it  was  afterwards  found  that — whether  from  fright 
and  shock  or  from  the  dazzling  glare  of  the  flames 
could  not  be  determined — though  her  lovely  eyes 
still  retained  their  brilliancy  and  beauty,  the  sight 
had  gone  from  them  and  she  was  blind. 

Full  of  woe  for  the  terrible  affliction  of  his  beloved 
and  motherless  child,  whose  bright  hopes  of  a  joyous 
life  thus  seemed  darkened  for  ever.  King  Rene  was 
further  plunged  in  despair  as  he  also  realised  that  his 
ancient  feud  was  now  likely  to  be  renewed,  for  the 
proud  Duke  of  Burgundy  would  scarcely  desire  to  wed 
his  only  son  to  a  blind  girl,  and  would  almost  certainly 
refuse  to  believe  that  she  had  ever  been  otherwise  than 
blind,  being  more  likely  to  imagine  that  he  had  been 
purposely  deceived  at  the  time  when  the  betrothal 
contract  was  signed. 

In  order  to  preserve  peace  in  his  long  harassed  land, 
therefore,  the  troubled  King  resolved  to  keep  the 
knowledge  of  his  child's  blindness  a  secret  from  all 
save  a  few  faithful  servants  whom  he  could  trust. 


210  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

With  this  object  in  view,  he  had  caused  a  retreat  to  be 
prepared  for  her  in  an  almost  unknown  valley  of  the 
Provence  hills,  where  she  could  be  brought  up  away 
from  the  sight  of  the  world  and  in  complete  ignorance 
even  of  the  awful  fact  that  she  was  blind. 

To  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  to  all  other  inquirers, 
it  was  given  out  that  the  child  was  delicate  and  had 
been  sent  to  be  brought  up  in  a  convent  in  Spain, 
there  to  remain  until  her  sixteenth  year,  when  her 
marriage  was  to  be  celebrated  ;  and  the  secret  of  her 
true  hiding-place  and  the  real  reason  for  her  isolation 
had  been  safely  preserved  up  to  the  present  time. 

To  Bertran,  a  faithful  retainer,  the  guardianship  of 
the  royal  child  had  been  entrusted  ;  and  a  careful, 
loving  nurse  was  found  for  her  in  Martha,  the  wife  of 
Bertran.  This  loyal  couple  also  were  the  custodians 
of  the  tiny  chateau  that  had  been  erected  in  the  midst 
of  the  beautiful  retreat ;  and,  with  the  addition  of  a 
few  serving-maids  and  archer  guards,  these  were 
the  only  persons  who  ever  saw  the  little  blind  Princess, 
save  her  father,  who  was  only  able  to  visit  her  at  long 
intervals.  The  latter's  true  estate  was  not  revealed  to 
her,  and  she  learned  to  know  and  to  love  him  as  her 
father  under  the  title  of  Raymbaut,  a  troubadour  or 
wandering  minstrel. 

At  first,  the  ministrations  and  companionship  of 
her  nurse,  Martha,  were  sufficient  for  the  blind  child  ; 
but  as  she  grew  to  maidenhood,  it  was  deemed  advis- 
able to  provide  for  her  companions  of  her  own  age. 
Therefore,  a  few  maidens  of  high  degree  were  sent  as 


lOLANTA  211 

attendants  upon  her,  all  of  whom  were  bound  to 
secrecy  and  instructed  to  keep  from  her  the  know- 
ledge of  her  blindness  and  of  her  true  rank. 

Thus  lolanta,  sightless  herself  and  accustomed  to 
living  and  moving  in  a  world  of  darkness,  never  having 
heard  of  the  joys  of  light  and  colour,  knowing  beauty 
only  by  her  delicate  sense  of  touch  and  intuition, 
believed  all  others  to  be  even  as  she  herself ;  and 
therefore,  she  was  happy,  in  spite  of  her  dire  affliction, 
and  grew  up  light-hearted  as  a  bird  and  beautiful 
as  the  dawn. 

All  through  the  early  childhood  of  lolanta,  King 
Rene  had  been  resigned  to  her  affliction,  though  he 
lived  in  dread  of  the  time,  then  long-distant,  when  he 
would  have  to  reveal  the  fact  of  her  blindness  to  her 
betrothed  and  thus  bring  almost  certain  warfare  once 
more  upon  his  now  smiling  land  ;  but  as  the  young 
Princess  approached  to  maidenhood,  hope  revived 
within  him,  and  he  began  to  think  it  possible  that  some 
wonderful  miracle  might  happen  to  restore  her  sight 
before  the  time  for  her  marriage  should  arrive.  Not 
contented  merely  to  hope,  he  sought  eagerly  for  means 
of  help  ;  and  hearing  of  a  certain  Moorish  physician, 
famed  for  his  marvellous  powers  of  healing,  he  sent  for 
him  and  offered  him  great  rewards  if,  out  of  his  wonder- 
ful store  of  Eastern  learning  and  even  of  his  know- 
ledge of  the  Dark  Science,  he  could  bring  back  the 
sight  to  his  daughter's  beautiful  eyes. 

The  physician,  Abn  Hakia,  was  willing  to  devote  his 
great  talents  to  this  congenial  task  ;  and  after  visiting 


212  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

the  blind  child,  he  gave  hope  that,  though  it  would  be 
necessary  to  wait  until  she  attained  the  age  of  sixteen 
years,  it  was  possible  that,  by  that  time,  he  might 
effect  a  cure,  and  announced  that  if,  in  the  meantime, 
his  directions  were  faithfully  followed  out,  "  by  the 
grace  of  Allah — Who  is  great  as  He  is  merciful — the 
sight  may  even  return  to  the  beauteous  eyes  of  the 
royal  maiden  !  " 

Such  tidings  of  hope  revived  the  drooping  spirits  of 
King  Rene  ;  and  giving  instructions  that  the  direc- 
tions of  the  Moorish  physician  should  be  strictly 
carried  out,  he  looked  forward  with  anxious  eagerness 
to  the  time  when  his  daughter  should  attain  her 
sixteenth  year,  when  the  final  treatments  and  tests 
were  to  be  made. 

That  time  had  now  arrived  ;  and,  full  of  loving 
anticipation,  almost  agonising  in  its  intensity,  the 
King  of  Naples  dispatched  one  of  his  Knights  to  the 
retreat  of  lolanta,  to  announce  to  her  custodians  that 
he  would  shortly  arrive  there  with  Abn  Hakia,  the 
Moorish  physician. 

Strangely  enough,  lolanta,  unconscious  that  her 
fate  and  future  welfare  thus  hung  in  the  balance, 
throughout  that  day  had  experienced  an  unusual 
feeling  of  depression  which  she  found  it  difficult  to 
shake  off ;  and  as  she  joined  her  companions  in  their 
fruit  and  flower  gathering,  her  step  seemed  less  elastic 
than  usual.  A  strange,  undefinable  feeling  that  she 
lacked  something — she  knew  not  what,  but  something 
that  she  could  not  name — took  possession  of  her,  and 


lOLANTA  213 

caused  her  usually  happy  spirits  to  droop  almost  to 
the  point  of  sadness. 

This  slight  depression  of  lolanta's  communicated 
itself  also,  in  a  less  degree,  to  her  companions,  who 
seemed  not  so  lively  as  was  their  wont ;  and  even  the 
musicians  who  had  been  bidden  to  make  sweet  music 
for  her  amusement  played  only  plaintive  airs,  as 
though  they,  too,  were  in  sympathy  with  the  royal 
maiden's  faint  intuition  of  something  lacking. 

Presently,  lolanta's  steps  grew  slow  and  heavy,  and, 
as  though  weary,  she  sank  weeping  upon  a  mossy 
bank. 

Her  friends  gathered  quickly  around  her  in  concern, 
asking  what  ailed  her  ;  but  she  replied  that  she  felt 
she  lacked  something,  though  she  knew  not  what,  and 
bade  them  go  on  gathering  blossoms  for  her,  as  the 
touch  and  scent  of  such  fair  flowers  might  comfort 
her.  When  the  girls  had  retired  to  do  her  bidding, 
she  called  her  nurse,  Martha,  to  her  side,  and,  saying 
that  she  had  wept  instead  of  sleeping  during  the  night 
before,  asked  suddenly  if  eyes  were  meant  only  for 
weeping,  adding  that  formerly  the  sweet  songs  of  the 
birds  and  the  other  happy  sounds  of  Nature  had 
brought  her  joy  enough  but  that  now  a  change  had 
come  and  that  even  in  the  song  of  the  nightingale  she 
heard  only  sobs. 

Martha,  full  of  alarm  at  this  strange  alteration  in 
her  nursling,  uttered  words  of  comfort  and  good  cheer  ; 
and  when  the  merry  girls  had  returned  once  more, 
laden    with    blossoms,    the    royal    maiden's    spirits 

p 


214  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

revived  somewhat,  and,  after  thanking  them  for  their 
gifts,  she  begged  Martha  to  sing  to  her  as  in  the 
days  of  her  early  childhood.  The  fond  nurse  gladly 
did  so  ;  and  when,  at  the  end  of  her  crooning  lullaby, 
it  was  found  that  lolanta  had  fallen  asleep,  the  attend- 
ants lifted  her  gently  and  carried  her  away  to  rest 
upon  a  couch  in  the  bowery  apartment  beneath  the 
terrace,  the  entrance  to  which  was  almost  hidden  by 
the  overhanging  roses. 

Soon  after  the  sleeping  lolanta  had  been  carried 
away  by  her  maidens,  the  sound  of  a  hunter's  horn 
was  heard  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the  retreat ;  and 
almost  immediately  following  this,  there  came  a 
knock  at  the  great  door  of  the  entrance  to  the 
grounds. 

The  custodian,  Bertran,  immediately  answered  the 
summons,  and,  opening  the  door,  peremptorily  asked 
the  business  of  the  visitor,  adding  sternly  that  he  had 
orders  to  slay  any  unwarranted  intruder. 

The  new-comer,  however,  announced  that  he  was 
the  Knight,  Almeric,  and  that  he  brought  a  message 
from  King  Rene.  Boldly  entering,  he  handed  a 
sealed  letter  to  Bertran,  at  the  same  time  showing 
him  the  King's  ring  as  the  s37mbol  of  his  ambassador- 
ship, but  stating  that  he  knew  not  the  reason  why  his 
royal  master  should  visit  this  strange  retreat  nor 
who  lived  within  it. 

On  reading  the  royal  missive,  which  announced  the 
early  arrival  of  King  Rene  with  the  Moorish  doctor, 
Bertran,  now  realising  that  the  stranger  might  be 


lOLANTA  215 

trusted,  received  him  with  cordiaHty  and  revealed  to 
him  the  true  identity  of  his  beautiful  charge.  Sir 
Almeric  was  filled  with  astonishment  and  pity  on 
learning  for  the  first  time  that  the  King's  fair  daughter 
was  blind  and  that  she  had  been  thus  hidden  away  in 
order  to  preserve  the  secret  of  her  affliction  from  her 
fiance,  who  had  never  yet  beheld  her,  but  who  was 
now  expected  at  any  time  to  come  forward  to  claim 
her  as  his  betrothed.  Realising  and  sympathising 
with  the  dilemma  of  King  Rene,  he  expressed  the 
earnest  hope  that  the  treatment  and  tests  about  to 
be  applied  by  the  learned  physician — whose  early 
arrival  he  had  come  to  announce — would  prove 
successful  and  that  the  Princess  would  at  last  recover 
her  long-lost  sight. 

Even  while  Sir  Almeric  spoke  with  Bertran  and 
Martha — who  had  also  now  joined  her  husband — the 
sound  of  a  further  hunting  horn  heralded  the  approach 
of  the  royal  party  ;  and,  next  moment,  King  Rene 
entered  the  garden,  accompanied  by  the  Moorish 
physician,  Abn  Hakia.  In  a  voice  trembling  with 
emotion,  the  King  bade  Martha  lead  the  doctor  into 
the  presence  of  the  sleeping  maiden,  as  he  desired 
to  examine  her  eyes  whilst  she  slept ;  and  when  the 
learned  leech  returned,  he  eagerly  begged  for  his 
report,  saying  passionately  that  he  would  give  every- 
thing he  possessed  if  his  daughter  could  regain  her 
sight. 

In  the  calm  eyes  of  the  physician,  dark,  unfathom- 
able,  and  inscrutable,  he  could  read  nothing ;   but 


2i6  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

his  heart  leapt  with  joy  when  Abn  Hakia  said : 
"  Have  hope,  0  King,  for  Allah  is  great,  and  all 
things  are  in  His  hands  !  There  is  a  chance  that 
the  royal  maid  may  be  cured  under  the  special  treat- 
ment I  shall  now  give  her  ;  but  it  is  essential  that  she 
be  told  that  she  is  blind,  of  which  fact  she  is  now 
ignorant,  for,  unless  she  has  the  desire  to  see,  nothing 
can  be  done  for  her  !  " 

On  hearing  this  condition,  the  King  became  angry 
and  impatient,  declaring  that  he  would  not  permit 
lolanta  to  be  told  of  her  affliction,  for  fear  the  cure 
should  not  be  successful,  when  the  knowledge — so 
carefully  and  lovingly  kept  from  her  all  these  years — 
might  make  her  unhappy  ;  and  he  even  announced 
his  resolve  to  punish  with  death  an}^  person  who 
should  dare  to  reveal  to  his  daughter  that  she  was 
blind. 

While  the  King  and  physician  thus  argued  upon  this 
vital  point,  a  stranger  in  another  part  of  the  garden 
was  unconsciously  playing  into  the  hands  of  Abn 
Hakia.  Two  handsome  young  men  of  high  degree, 
having  wandered  from  the  beaten  tracks  and  lost 
their  way  in  this  wild  district,  had,  accidentally, 
stumbled  upon  the  hidden  retreat ;  and  being  amazed 
at  the  beautiful  surroundings  in  which  they  so  un- 
expectedly found  themselves,  they  hastened  through 
the  luxurious  garden  until  they  reached  the  rose- 
hung  terrace. 

These  wanderers  were  none  other  than  the  young 
Duke  of  Burgundy  and  his  friend,  Count  Vaudemont, 


lOLANTA  217 

who  were  even  now  journeying  to  the  Court  of  King 
Rene  that  the  former  might  claim  his  affianced  bride  ; 
and  as  they  stopped  to  rest  a  few  moments  by  the 
terrace,  the  bridegroom-elect  spoke  of  his  errand  and 
future  bride  in  tones  of  the  greatest  discontent.  He 
railed  at  his  late  father  for  having  made  such  a  tire- 
some contract  for  him,  declaring  that  he  had  no  desire 
at  all  to  meet  his  betrothed,  having  already  given 
his  heart  to  another  maiden,  Matilda,  the  fair  Countess 
of  Loteringia,  whose  beauty  and  wit  were  beyond 
compare. 

Count  Vaudemont  bade  him  take  cheer,  since  King 
Rene's  daughter  might  prove  to  be  even  more  beauti- 
ful still ;  and  then,  noticing  a  tiny  footprint  in  the 
soft  ground  leading  to  the  terrace,  he  cried  gaily  : 
"  Surely,  a  fairy  must  dwell  in  this  wonderful  para- 
dise !     Let  us  seek  her  out  !  " 

Soon  noticing  the  half-hidden  door  amongst  the 
roses,  he  pushed  it  open  ;  and  the  two  young  men 
fell  back  in  amazement,  lost  in  admiration  as  their 
gaze  fell  upon  the  beautiful  form  of  the  Princess 
lolanta,  who  slept  upon  a  couch  within. 

The  young  Duke  hastened  back  into  the  open,  full 
of  alarm,  calling  to  his  friend  to  withdraw  also  and 
declaring  that  the  place  was  surely  enchanted  and 
that  the  ethereal  being  within  must  almost  certainly 
be  some  dangerous  siren  who  would  enchant  them  also 
with  her  evil  spells  should  she  awaken  and  find  them 
there ;  but  Vaudemont  remained  fascinated,  his 
senses  enthralled,  and,  scorning  the  fears  of  the  Duke, 


2i8  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

said  softly  :  "  Nay,  say  rather  that  she  is  an  Angel 
from  Heaven  !  " 

He  also  stepped  back,  however  ;  for,  at  the  sound  of 
strange  voices,  lolanta  awakened,  and,  rising  from 
her  couch,  came  slowly  forth  upon  the  terrace  and 
asked  in  her  sweet  voice  :   "  Who  is  here  ?  " 

The  Count,  in  spite  of  the  Duke's  attempt  to  restrain 
him,  announced  their  names  and  titles,  explaining 
that  they  were  weary  travellers  who  had  lost  their 
way  ;  and  lolanta,  ever  mindful  of  the  wants  of 
others,  said  :  "I  will  fetch  wine  and  fruit,  then,  for 
your  refreshment !  " 

As  she  moved  back  into  her  apartment  to  fetch  the 
wine  and  fruit,  placed  there  by  her  own  thoughtful 
attendants,  the  Duke,  still  fearful  of  being  thrown 
under  a  spell  of  enchantment,  hastened  away  from 
the  spot  to  seek  for  help ;  but  Vaudemont,  already 
strangely  attracted  by  the  lovely  maiden,  waited, 
full  of  eagerness  for  her  anticipated  return. 

When  lolanta  appeared,  therefore,  with  fruit  and 
wine,  and  invited  him  to  refresh  himself,  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  do  so,  for  fear  of  offending  her  ;  and  then, 
feeling  more  and  more  the  rapture  of  her  charming 
presence  and  realising  that  he  already  loved  her,  he 
spoke  to  her  tenderly,  yet  reverently,  admiring  her 
beauty  and  wooing  her  very  gently.  But  lolanta 
appeared  confused,  and  said  she  did  not  understand 
such  words,  though  they  sounded  very  sweetly  in  her 
ears,  for  no  one  had  ever  spoken  thus  to  her  before  ; 
and    afraid   lest   he   might    alarm    her,    Vaudemont 


lOLANTA  219 

realised  that  he  must  have  patience,  though  he  ven- 
tured to  ask  her  to  pluck  for  him  a  red  rose  to  keep  in 
remembrance  of  her  flushed  cheeks,  and  that  he  might 
know  she  was  not  merely  a  dream  maiden.  "  Gladly 
will  I  do  so  !  "  replied  lolanta  ;  but  not  knowing 
one  from  the  other,  she  plucked  for  him  a  white  rose. 

"  Thanks,  sweet  maiden  !  I  will  keep  this  white 
rose  as  the  emblem  of  your  purity  !  "  said  Vaude- 
mont,  adding  :  "  but  will  you  not  give  me  also  a  red 
rose  ?  " 

"  But  what  is  red,  and  what  is  white  ?  "  asked  the 
puzzled  lolanta.  "  I  know  not  what  you  mean  by 
such  words  !  " 

Not  willing  at  first  to  believe  that  the  beautiful  girl 
could  be  afflicted  with  blindness,  as  her  words  now 
led  him  to  suppose,  Vaudemont  hastily  plucked  a 
number  of  roses,  and  asked  her  to  say  how  many 
blossoms  he  held  in  his  hand  ;  and  when  she  could 
only  tell  him  this  by  coming  near  to  him  and  passing 
her  delicate  fingers  over  the  flowers  he  held,  he  realised, 
to  his  sorrow,  that  she  was,  indeed,  blind,  and  his 
deep  pity  for  her  reduced  him  to  sudden  silence. 

Fearing  by  his  silence  that  she  had  unwittingly 
offended  him,  lolanta's  tears  began  to  flow  ;  and 
Vaudemont,  with  great  gentleness,  endeavoured  to 
comfort  and  cheer  her  by  telling  her  about  the  great 
world  in  which  he  lived  and  of  the  wonderful  things 
to  be  seen  and  done  therein,  amazed  that  she  should 
be  so  ignorant  of  these  matters  and  even  of  her  own 
infirmity. 


220  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

lolanta  thus  learned  from  her  new  friend  the  fact 
that  she  was  bUnd,  and  reahsed  that  the  feeUng  of 
something  lacking  which  had  possessed  her  all  day 
was  a  true  feeling.  Full  of  interest  in  Vaudemont's 
revelations  of  wonders  and  beauties  unknown  to  her, 
she  begged  him  eagerly  to  tell  her  more  about  these 
marvels  of  sunshine,  colour,  and  form,  all  of  which 
special  beauties  of  Nature  he  said  helped  mankind  to 
understand  and  to  realise  God,  the  Creator  of  all. 

"  You  say  beautiful  things  !  "  she  said.  "  I,  too, 
understand  God  by  something  within  myself,  by  the 
scent  of  the  flowers  and  the  songs  of  the  birds  ;  but 
how  much  greater  must  be  your  understanding  of 
Him,  by  the  wonders  of  which  you  speak  !  " 

So  engrossed  were  the  two  young  people  in  their 
happy  talk,  every  word  strengthening  the  wonderful 
bond  of  sympathy  between  them,  that  they  heeded 
not  the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps ;  and  inter- 
ruption came  all  too  soon. 

King  Rene  with  the  Moorish  physician  and  his 
daughter's  companions  had  come  to  seek  lolanta  in 
her  rose  bower,  where  they  imagined  her  to  be  still 
sleeping  ;  and  they  were  astounded  and  bewildered 
at  finding  her  not  resting  as  they  had  supposed,  but 
awake  and  talking  with  a  stranger. 

Angrily,  the  King  came  forward  and  demanded  of 
the  intruder  how  he  came  thither  and  how  he  dared  to 
speak  to  his  daughter.  lolanta  replied  for  the  Count, 
begging  her  father  not  to  be  angry  with  the  stranger, 
declaring  that  his  company  had  given  her  great  deHght, 


lOLANTA  221 

as  he  had  told  her  of  the  beauties  of  the  great  world 
and  of  the  mighty  wonders  of  Nature  which  she  had 
never  seen,  and  had  expressed  pity  for  her  in  her 
blindness. 

All  exclaimed  in  alarm  on  thus  hearing  that  their 
beloved  Princess  had  been  made  acquainted  with  her 
affliction  ;  and  the  King  cried  aloud  in  fury  :  "  What 
have  you  done,  rash  youth  ?  My  child's  happiness 
is  destroyed  for  ever ;  and  you  shall  surely  die  for 
the  evil  thing  you  have  done  !  " 

The  doctor,  however,  was  glad  to  learn  that 
lolanta  thus  knew  of  her  blindness,  which  was  in 
accordance  with  his  desires  ;  and  he  told  the  King 
that  the  maiden  now  might  certainly  be  cured,  if 
only  she  would  desire  to  see.  He,  therefore,  asked  his 
patient  if  she  now  wished  to  see  ;  but  lolanta  shook 
her  head  and  said  she  could  not  desire  for  that  which 
she  did  not  know,  but  that  she  was  willing  to  do  as 
her  father  wished  in  the  matter. 

The  doctor,  nonplussed,  declared  sadly  that  he 
could  not  cure  her  unless  she,  herself,  had  the  desire 
to  see  ;  and  then,  realising  at  last  the  trend  of  the 
physician's  plan,  a  sudden  idea  occurred  to  King 
Rene  for  securing  the  consummation  of  Abn  Hakia's 
wish,  and  he  said  sternly  :  "  Commence  your  cure, 
physician,  for  it  is  almost  twilight,  which  is  the  time 
you  have  chosen  for  performing  this  mighty  work  ; 
and  if  by  the  time  your  treatment  is  completed  my 
daughter  has  not  regained  her  sight,  this  young 
stranger  shall  certainly  be  slain.     If,  on  the  other  hand. 


222  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

by  your  mighty  healing  art  and  by  her  own  strong 
desire  to  see,  she  is  cured,  then  shall  the  young  man 
live  and  receive  my  favour  !  " 

lolanta,  who  had  conceived  a  deep  affection  for  the 
young  stranger  whose  sj'mpathetic  presence  and 
tender  words  had  already  taught  her  the  meaning  of 
love,  was  full  of  alarm  lest  he  might  lose  his  life  for 
his  rashness.  She  now  longed  passionately  to  see, 
for  his  sake,  that  his  precious  life  might  be  spared, 
and  she  cried  eagerly  :  "  Oh,  hasten,  wise  physician, 
and  apply  your  cure  ;  for  I  wish  above  all  things  in  the 
world  that  my  eyes  may  be  opened  and  that  I  may 
see  and  thus  look  upon  the  countenance  of  my  new 
friend  !  " 

Well  pleased  on  hearing  these  words,  the  physician 
now  led  lolanta  within  the  palace,  in  order  to  apply 
his  final  tests  for  her  cure  ;  and  Count  Vaudemont 
and  the  King  were  left  alone. 

King  Rene  immediately  apologised  to  the  stranger 
for  the  harsh  attitude  he  had  been  obliged  to  take, 
explaining  to  him  his  real  reason  for  doing  so  ;  and 
the  Count  assured  him  that  he  fully  understood  the 
plan  in  his  mind.  He  then  declared  his  love  for  the 
fair  lolanta  and  begged  that  her  hand  might  be 
bestowed  upon  him,  whether  she  regained  her  sight  or 
not,  revealing  his  name  and  high  rank  ;  but  King 
Ren6  replied  sadly  that  his  daughter  had  been  be- 
trothed to  another  since  infancy. 

Just  then,  Almeric  appeared  and  announced  to  the 
King  that  the  young  Duke  of  Burgundy  had  arrived 


lOLANTA  223 

and  craved  an  immediate  audience  ;  and  King  Rene 
turned  to  Vaudemont  and  said  :  "  Behold  your 
rival,  for  he  even  now  approaches  !  " 

The  Duke  now  appeared  on  the  scene,  and  explana- 
tions quickly  followed,  for  the  young  men  were 
astounded  at  thus  learning  that  the  beautiful  blind 
maiden  whom  they  had  discovered  so  romantically 
was  King  Rene's  daughter  and  the  Duke's  betrothed, 
whom  they  had  come  to  claim  in  fulfilment  of  the 
contract  made  so  many  years  ago. 

The  Count  now  begged  the  Duke  to  confess  to 
King  Rend  that  his  affections  were  already  bestowed 
upon  the  Countess  Matilda  of  Loteringia,  and  that  he 
desired  to  be  released  from  the  contract  made  by  his 
late  father  ;  and  seeing  that  his  friend  had  conceived 
a  deep  love  for  the  afflicted  royal  maiden,  the  young 
noble  gladly  did  so. 

King  Rene  willingly  agreed  that  the  contract  with 
the  Duke  of  Burgundy  should  be  annulled  ;  and  he 
now  consented  to  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  with 
Count  Vaudemont. 

By  this  time  twilight  was  far  advanced,  and  the 
doctor's  tests  were  completed  ;  and,  to  the  over- 
whelming joy  of  all,  when  the  bandages  were  removed 
from  lolanta's  eyes,  it  was  found  that  the  cure  had 
been  successful  and  that  the  royal  maiden  could  now 
see. 

Although  bewildered  at  first  on  beholding  the 
wonders  around  her,  lolanta  quickly  accustomed  her- 
self to  her  new  powers  ;   and  when  King  Rene  placed 


224  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

her  hands  in  those  of  Count  Vaudemont,  she  smiled 
upon  him  with  great  joy,  and  uttered  praises  to  Heaven 
for  the  mighty  miracle  that  had  been  wrought  on  her 
behalf  and  for  the  wonderful  happiness  that  now  filled 
her  heart. 


ICHAIKOVSKT 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES 

One  bright  springtime  day,  merry  throngs  of  people 
might  have  been  seen  enjoying  themselves  in  the 
beautiful  Summer  Garden  at  St  Petersburg.  Now 
that  the  ice  and  snows  of  the  severe  Russian  winter 
had  at  last  melted  away  and  the  warm  sunshine 
shone  forth  once  more,  everyone  was  eager  to  be  out 
in  the  open  air  and  to  inhale  the  gentle  breezes,  to 
admire  the  beauty  of  the  freshly-opened  flowers, 
and  to  rejoice  with  the  happy  singing  birds  carolling 
among  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

The  Summer  Garden  presented  a  specially  gay  and 
animated  scene,  providing  as  it  did  a  happy  recreation 
ground  for  many  groups  of  children,  who  played  their 
merry  games  while  their  nurses  and  governesses 
strolled  about  and  chatted  together. 

This  pleasant  spot  being  also  a  favourite  meeting- 
place  for  the  wealthy  and  aristocratic,  a  number  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  in  fashionable  garb  contributed 
a  buzz  of  conversation  ;  and  a  good  sprinkling  of 
military  men  in  brilliant  uniforms  added  further  to 
the  brightness  of  the  scene. 

Among  these  latter  were  two  young  officers,  named 
Tchekalinsky  and  Sourin,  who,  however,  were  not 
quite  in  the  best  of  spirits,  having  met  with  bad  luck 

225 


226  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

in  their  card  play  the  night  before  ;  and  they  were 
just  consohng  themselves  with  the  reflection  that 
their  own  misfortunes  had  been  capped  by  the  extra 
bad  luck  of  their  friend  Herman,  a  fellow-ofhcer, 
when  they  observed  the  latter  approaching,  and  moved 
aside  on  noting  his  gloomy  looks. 

Young  Herman  was  indeed  in  a  melancholy  frame 
of  mind  ;  and  presently,  on  being  rallied  for  his  silence 
and  gloom  by  his  companion,  Count  Tomsky,  he 
confessed  to  the  latter  that  his  bad  spirits  were  caused 
by  the  fact  that  he  had  fallen  in  love,  and  that  he 
was  at  the  same  time  filled  with  despair  since  he  did 
not  even  know  the  name  of  his  beloved  one,  who 
was  certainly  of  a  noble  family  not  likely  to  consider 
the  advances  of  so  humble  a  suitor  as  himself. 

Tomsky,  deeply  interested,  asked  for  further  par- 
ticulars ;  and  Herman,  being  a  young  man  of  ardent 
and  romantic  temperament,  burst  forth  into  an 
enthusiastic  description  of  the  object  of  his  affections, 
saying  that  her  beauty  and  sweetness  had  never 
been  excelled  ;  and  then,  to  Tomsky 's  surprise,  he 
declared  that  he  had  never  yet  spoken  to  her,  and  that 
he  had  only  met  her  a  few  times  walking  in  the 
Gardens  and  accompanied  by  her  constant  guardian, 
a  sinister-looking  old  woman,  whose  rich  clothing, 
priceless  jewels,  and  haughty  bearing,  however, 
proclaimed  her  to  be  of  high  degree. 

"  Nevertheless,"  he  added,  "  I  know  that  my 
ardent  glances  have  made  an  impression  upon  this 
beautiful  maiden,  and  that  she  cannot  be  insensible 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  227 

to  the  deep  passion  she  has  aroused  in  me  ;  and  her 
terrible  old  guardian  also  has  noted  me,  and  while 
casting  looks  of  indignation  and  disdain  upon  me  for 
presuming  to  gaze  upon  her  ward  with  eyes  of  love, 
I  have  remarked  a  strange  look,  almost  of  fear,  in 
her  baleful  glances  !  " 

As  Tomsky,  greatly  interested  in  his  young  friend's 
mysterious  love  affair,  was  about  to  question  him 
further  on  the  matter,  Tchekalinsky  and  Sourin 
approached  them  in  company  with  their  friend,  Prince 
Yeletsky,  a  wealthy  nobleman  of  great  dignity  and 
brilliant  attainments,  to  whom  they  were  at  the 
moment  offering  their  congratulations,  his  engage- 
ment to  a  certain  beautiful  young  lady  having  just 
been  announced. 

Whilst  Herman,  still  further  plunged  into  gloom 
at  the  sight  of  another  man's  happiness,  drew  back 
a  few  paces,  Tomsky  hastened  forward  to  join  in  the 
congratulations  to  Prince  Yeletsky  ;  and  upon  asking 
the  latter  to  say  which  of  the  charming  maidens  of 
high  degree  adorning  St  Petersburg  society  he  had 
chosen  for  his  future  bride,  the  Prince,  indicating  the 
approach  of  two  ladies,  said  with  joyful  eagerness  : 
"  Behold !    Here  she  comes !    It  is  the  beautiful  Lisa !  " 

As  Prince  Yeletsky  hastened  forward  to  greet  his 
fiancee,  the  young  officer,  Herman,  fell  back  with  a 
gasp  of  despair  ;  for  the  lovely  maiden  who  now 
approached  to  place  her  hand  in  that  of  her  nobly- 
born  suitor  was  none  other  than  his  own  beloved 
one,  whom  he  had  so  passionately  adored   from   a 


228  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

distance  and  whose  name  he  now  heard  for  the  first 
time. 

The  fair  young  girl  was  accompanied  by  her 
guardian,  a  weird-looking  old  dame,  whose  piercing 
black  eyes  set  deeply  in  her  parchment-like  painted 
face,  cast  forth  almost  malignant  glances  on  all 
around,  until  they  rested  upon  the  stricken  Herman, 
when  a  strange  look  of  fear  instantly  appeared  in 
them  ;  and,  with  a  shudder,  she  drew  Tomsky  aside 
to  ask  the  name  of  the  gloom}^  young  officer,  declaring 
that  she  had  a  mysterious  fear  of  him. 

Lisa,  on  her  part,  was  also  greatly  disturbed  at  thus 
coming  face  to  face  with  her  unknown  admirer,  whose 
attractive  personality  already  had  an  extraordinary 
fascination  for  her  ;  and  the  two  ladies,  unwilling  to 
prolong  their  strange  uneasiness,  quickly  passed  on 
with  Prince  Yeletsky. 

When  they  had  gone,  Tomsky,  having  guessed  at 
the  cause  of  Herman's  agitation  and  full  of  pity  for 
the  unhappy  young  man,  endeavoured  to  divert  him 
from  his  unlucky  attachment  by  telling  him  of  the 
evil  reputation  of  his  beloved  one's  guardian — who 
was  also  her  grandmother — stating  that  she  was 
a  Countess,  who,  owing  to  her  weird  looks,  dangerous 
dabbling  in  occult  matters,  and  celebrated  exploits 
as  a  cunning  gambler,  was  usually  spoken  of  as  "  The 
Queen  of  Spades." 

He  stated  further  that,  in  the  early  days  of  her 
youth,  the  Countess  had  been  a  famous  beauty, 
toasted  in  all  the  capitals  of  Europe  as  "  The  Venus  of 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  229 

Moscow  "  ;  but,  strange  to  say,  though  lovers  in- 
numerable fluttered  constantly  around  her,  eager  for 
her  smiles,  love  made  no  appeal  to  her,  as  she  lived 
only  for  gambling,  for  which  she  had  an  overwhelming 
passion.  It  was  further  reported  by  the  gossips  of 
the  town  that  her  continuous  and  marvellous  good 
luck  at  the  gaming-table  was  due  to  her  secret  know- 
ledge of  a  certain  combination  of  three  cards  which 
never  failed  to  bring  her  success — a  secret  which  the 
tattlers  further  affirmed  had  become  hers  at  the  price 
of  yielding  to  the  importunities  of  one  of  her  many 
adorers.  She  had  been  forbidden  to  reveal  the  secret 
to  anyone  else ;  but  having  twice  disobeyed  this 
command  of  her  now  dead  lover,  the  latter  had  since 
visited  her  in  ghostly  guise  to  proclaim  that  she  would 
surely  die  when  a  third  man,  forced  by  despair,  should 
try  to  wrest  from  her  this  secret  of  the  three  cards. 
Tchekalinsky  and  Sourin  laughed  at  the  gossipc'  tale 
told  by  Tomsky,  and  soon  strolled  away  with  the 
latter,  as  the  rumblings  of  an  approaching  thunder- 
storm came  nearer ;  and  Herman,  left  alone  and 
heedless  of  the  storm  which  quickly  broke  with 
sudden  fury,  pondered  over  the  strange  story  he  had 
just  heard.  His  own  convictions  forced  him  to  believe 
in  its  truth,  as  he  now  realised  that  here  was  the  key 
to  the  curious  fear  in  the  eyes  of  the  old  Countess  when- 
ever she  gazed  upon  him — proof  that  she  had  a  pre- 
sentiment that  he  was  to  be  the  third  man  who  would 
force  her  to  reveal  the  fatal  secret  and  thus  bring  about 
her  death. 

Q 


230  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

The  more  Herman  pondered  upon  this  matter,  the 
more  obsessed  he  became  with  a  strange  mad  desire 
to  work  out  what  he  now  regarded  as  his  destiny  and 
to  learn  the  magic  secret  of  the  three  cards  from  the 
ill-reputed  old  Countess,  and  thus,  by  gaining  a 
fortune  at  the  gaming-tables,  to  win  as  his  bride  the 
lovely  Lisa,  who  he  felt  had  only  been  plighted  to 
Prince  Yeletsky  because  of  the  latter's  wealth. 

So  great  a  hold  did  this  idea  take  upon  the  imagi- 
nation of  the  romantic  Herman  that  he  determined  to 
put  aside  his  former  humility  and  to  pursue  an  ardent 
wooing  of  his  beloved  one  by  means  of  clandestine 
meetings,  and  to  induce  her  to  help  him  in  his  efforts 
to  persuade  the  celebrated  "  Queen  of  Spades  "  to 
yield  up  her  secret  to  him. 

With  this  object  in  view,  the  young  officer  secreted 
himself  one  evening  on  the  balcony  outside  the  window 
of  Lisa's  room,  to  await  an  opportunity  of  seeing  her 
and  declaring  his  love. 

The  fair  Lisa,  being  still  but  a  youthful  maiden, 
had  been  entertaining  some  girl  friends  that  evening  ; 
and  when  her  guests  rallied  her  upon  her  somewhat 
downcast  looks,  declaring  that  being  but  newly 
betrothed  she  should  be  all  smiles  and  liveliness,  she 
had  made  a  special  effort  to  rouse  herself  and  to  join 
in  their  games  and  dances. 

When  the  girls  had  departed,  however,  a  strange 
feeling  of  depression  and  of  coming  calamity  crept 
over  her  ;  and,  instead  of  retiring  to  rest  at  once,  she 
dismissed  her  maid  and  gave  herself  up  to  sad  refiec- 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  231 

tions.  Ever  since  her  last  meeting  with  Herman  in 
the  Summer  Garden,  she  had  reaUsed  that  her  love 
was  wholly  given  to  this  mysterious  young  officer 
whose  ardent  glances  had  won  her  heart  against  her 
will ;  and,  in  spite  of  her  respect  for  the  courtly 
Yeletsky — whose  love  for  her  she  knew  to  be  sincere — 
she  felt  that  despite  the  honours  and  dignities  she 
would  enjoy  as  his  wife,  the  sunshine  of  happiness 
would  nevertheless  have  vanished  from  her  life  now 
that  her  love  was  given  to  another. 

As  she  wept  at  this  sad  thought,  a  sound  caused  her 
to  look  up  ;  and  she  beheld  the  romantic  subject  of  her 
affections,  Herman,  stepping  into  her  room  from  the 
balcony. 

With  a  stifled  cry,  Lisa  drew  back,  overcome  by 
mingled  feelings  of  surprise,  fear,  and  a  strange  joy ; 
but  Herman  hastened  forward  with  eager  steps  and 
outstretched  arms,  pouring  forth  an  ardent  declaration 
of  his  passion  and  entreating  her  to  accept  his  love 
and  so  obey  the  true  dictates  of  her  heart. 

At  first,  Lisa  made  a  movement  as  of  anger,  declar- 
ing that  she  would  rouse  the  household  unless  her 
intruding  lover  departed  ;  but  upon  Herman,  half  mad 
with  love  and  doubt,  drawing  a  pistol  and  announc- 
ing that  he  had  but  come  for  one  kind  word  from  her 
ere  putting  an  end  to  his  now  useless  life,  she  endeav- 
oured to  calm  him.  Being  unable,  however,  to 
disguise  her  own  agitation,  and  betraying  her  love 
thereby,  Herman  was  emboldened  to  continue  his 
declaration,  being  overcome  with  joy  on  realising  that 


232  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

his  passion  was  thus  returned  ;  but  at  this  moment 
there  came  an  interruption  in  the  form  of  a  sharp 
knock  at  the  door,  and  the  young  officer  had  only 
just  time  to  conceal  himself  behind  a  curtain  when  the 
old  Countess  entered  the  room,  scolding  her  grand- 
daughter for  not  having  retired  to  rest. 

The  old  dame  seemed  to  be  haunted  by  a  super- 
natural warning  of  her  own  approaching  death, 
appearing  to  feel  instinctively  the  unseen  presence  of 
one  who  was  to  have  a  fatal  influence  over  her  and  to 
bring  calamity  ;  but  Lisa  succeeded  in  reassuring  her 
and  promised  to  seek  her  couch  at  once,  whereupon 
the  Countess  departed. 

Herman  then  came  forth  once  more ;  and  his 
wooing  now  became  so  intensely  ardent  that  Lisa 
could  no  longer  resist  his  pleadings,  and  with  great 
joy  the  lovers  sealed  their  compact  of  love  with  many 
tender  embraces. 

After  this  mutual  understanding,  Herman  and  Lisa 
had  few  opportunities  of  seeing  one  another,  for  the 
latter  was  kept  strictly  guarded  by  the  old  Countess, 
who  now  lived  in  constant  fear  of  meeting  with  the 
mysterious  young  officer  in  whose  presence  she  always 
felt  such  a  strange  foreboding  of  coming  evil.  Her- 
man, thus  realising  that  without  at  least  unbounded 
wealth  he  could  not  possibly  present  himself  as  a 
rival  suitor  to  the  rich  and  aristocratic  Prince  Yeletsky, 
became  more  than  ever  obsessed  by  the  idea  of 
wresting  from  the  notorious  "  Queen  of  Spades " 
the  magic  secret  of  the  three  cards,  the  combination 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  233 

of  which  brought  such  good  luck  at  the  gaming- 
tables. 

This  idea  of  his  was  fostered,  unconsciously,  by  his 
friends,  Tchekalinsky  and  Sourin,  who,  knowing  of  his 
poverty,  continually  exhorted  him  in  joking  fashion 
to  make  friends  with  the  uncanny  old  Countess  and 
to  learn  her  secret ;  and,  finally,  the  idea  took  such  a 
strong  hold  upon  his  imagination  that  he  was  haunted 
continually  by  it  and  could  think  of  nothing  else. 

At  last,  he  determined  to  induce  Lisa  to  help  him  to 
gain  an  interview  with  her  grandmother  ;  and  with 
this  idea,  he  attended  a  masked  ball  given  one  evening 
by  a  rich  dignitary  of  the  city,  knowing  that  Lisa 
would  certainly  be  attending  this  ball  in  company 
with  her  fiance.  Prince  Yeletsky. 

Among  the  brilliant  throng  attending  this  function 
the  unhappy  Herman  wandered  in  disguise,  feverishly 
awaiting  the  chance  of  an  interview  with  his  beloved 
one,  from  whom  he  had  that  morning  received  a  note 
stating  that  she  desired  urgently  to  speak  with  him. 

Soon,  to  his  relief,  he  saw  Lisa  enter  on  the  arm  of 
Prince  Yeletsky  ;  and,  later  on  in  the  evening,  after 
the  close  of  a  musical  interlude  performed  by  some  of 
the  guests,  the  lovers  managed  to  snatch  a  few  stolen 
moments  together. 

After  the  first  joy  of  meeting  was  over,  Lisa  gave  to 
Herman  a  key  of  her  garden  gate,  telling  him  that  by 
means  of  a  ladder  she  had  left  there  he  would  be  able 
to  gain  access  to  the  room  of  her  grandmother,  with 
whom  he  would  thus  secure  the  coveted  interview. 


234  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Having  thus  arranged  their  plan,  the  lovers  mingled 
once  more  with  the  other  guests  ;  and  that  night, 
just  before  the  ball  came  to  a  close,  Herman  made 
his  way  to  the  home  of  "  The  Queen  of  Spades  "  and 
gained  entrance  by  means  of  a  secret  passage  to  the 
Countess's  sleeping  apartment,  where  he  concealed 
himself  until  the  old  dame  returned  from  the  ball, 
which  she  also  had  attended,  dressed  in  gorgeous 
attire  and  blazing  with  jewels. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait  ere  he  heard  the  arrival  of 
the  ladies  in  the  boudoir  beyond  ;  and  after  the  aged 
Countess  had  been  prepared  for  bed,  she  was  brought 
into  her  sleeping  chamber  by  a  bevy  of  flattering 
maids  and  attendants,  who  praised  her  brilliant 
appearance  at  the  ball  and  wished  her  a  good  night's 
rest. 

The  weird  old  dame  looked  even  more  uncanny 
than  usual,  a  strange  light  shining  in  her  dark,  yet 
piercing  eyes ;  and,  refusing  to  go  to  bed  just  then, 
she  insisted  on  being  propped  up  on  a  couch,  where, 
after  dismissing  her  maids,  she  indulged  in  chattering 
reminiscences  of  the  triumphs  and  conquests  of  her 
youth. 

Whilst  she  thus  crooned  to  herself,  Herman  suddenly 
presented  himself  before  her  and  implored  her  to  make 
him  happy  by  telling  him  her  famous  secret — the 
names  of  the  three  cards  that  brought  good  luck  to 
the  gambler. 

The  old  Countess,  at  first  full  of  amazement  and 
anger  at  the  intrusion  of  a  stranger  into  her  room. 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  235 

gazed  at  him  with  menacing  glances  ;  then,  as  Her- 
man, growing  reckless  and  despairing  in  his  frantic 
eagerness  to  learn  the  secret,  drew  forth  a  pistol, 
declaring  that  he  would  force  her  to  speak,  a  sudden 
change  came  over  her.  Overwhelmed  with  a  name- 
less terror  as  she  now  recognised  the  strange  young 
man  whose  presence  always  caused  her  to  shudder 
with  unaccountable  fear,  the  shock  was  more  than  she 
could  bear ;  and,  flinging  up  her  shaking  arms,  she 
fell  back  upon  the  couch,  dead. 

For  several  moments,  Herman  remained  trans- 
fixed with  horror  and  overcome  by  an  eerie  feeling 
that  supernatural  agencies  were  at  work ;  then, 
realising  that  the  old  dame's  secret  had  perished  with 
her,  he  was  filled  with  despair,  which  increased  when 
Lisa,  entering  the  room  a  few  moments  later  and 
seeing  the  pistol  in  his  hand,  accused  him  of  having 
murdered  her  grandmother  and  drove  him  from  her 
presence. 

The  wretched  Herman  now  passed  some  terrible 
days,  almost  mad  with  grief  and  remorse  and  haunted 
constantly  by  visions  of  the  dead  Countess  ;  and, 
shutting  himself  up  in  his  room  at  the  barracks,  he 
refused  to  see  anyone  or  to  go  out,  feeling  that  nothing 
mattered  if  Lisa  refused  to  smile  upon  him. 

Lisa,  however,  could  not  long  bear  to  live  without 
seeing  her  beloved  one ;  and  soon  believing  that  she 
had  wronged  him  by  her  hasty  suspicions,  she  sent 
him  a  note  asking  for  his  forgiveness  and  entreating 
him  to  meet  her  that  evening  at  midnight  on  the 


236  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

Quay,  where   they   would   be   unseen,  or,    at   least, 
unknown. 

Herman  received  the  note  on  the  day  of  the 
Countess's  funeral ;  and  though  it  brought  him  some 
comfort,  he  could  not  overcome  a  strange  uncanny 
feeling  which  he  had  experienced  all  that  day.  As 
evening  drew  on  apace,  a  sudden  storm  arose  and  the 
wind  howled  around  the  house  ;  and  as  he  sat  in  his 
lonely  apartment,  shivering  with  a  nameless  fear,  the 
apparition  of  the  dead  Countess  appeared  before  him, 
telling  him  in  ghostly  accents  the  names  of  the  three 
cards  he  had  desired  to  know — three,  seven,  ace. 

As  soon  as  the  spectre  had  vanished  and  he  had 
recovered  somewhat  from  his  fright,  Herman  once 
more  became  obsessed  with  a  mad  desire  to  try  his 
luck  at  the  gaming-table  immediately  ;  but  refraining, 
for  a  short  time  longer,  from  giving  vent  to  his  freshly 
stimulated  passion  he  set  forth  at  midnight  to  the 
Quay,  to  keep  his  appointment  with  Lisa,  who  was 
already  waiting  for  him  by  the  bridge. 

There  was  a  passionate  meeting  between  the  lovers  ; 
but  Lisa  was  soon  plunged  into  grief  and  alarm  once 
more  on  hearing  from  Herman  that  he  now  knew  the 
secret  of  the  three  cards,  so  that  she  was  again  forced 
to  believe  that  he  had  indeed  murdered  the  Countess 
with  his  own  hands  ;  and  she  imagined  him  to  be 
raving  when  presently  he  told  her  excitedly  that  he 
was  about  to  make  a  wonderful  fortune  at  the  gaming- 
tables. 
With  tearful  entreaties,  Lisa  implored  him  to  go 


THE  QUEEN  OF  SPADES  237 

away  with  her  and  to  forget  the  evil  knowledge  he 
had  gained  by  supernatural  means  ;  but  Herman, 
now  indeed  raving  and  quite  beside  himself  with  the 
gambler's  passion,  tore  himself  from  her  side  in  a 
frenzy  and  rushed  off  to  the  gambling-house. 

Now  realising  that  her  beloved  one  was  indeed  mad 
and  lost  to  her  for  ever,  the  unhappy  Lisa  gave  way  to 
a  paroxysm  of  despair  ;  and  feeling  that  life  had  no 
joy  left  for  her,  she  flung  herself  from  the  bridge  into 
the  river  below,  there  to  seek  oblivion  from  the  woes 
she  could  not  bear. 

Meanwhile,  Herman  fled  with  mad  haste  to  the 
gambling-house,  where  he  found  his  rival.  Prince 
Yeletsky,  whom  he  at  once  challenged  to  play  him 
ihree  times  for  terrific  stakes. 

His  friends,  Tchekalinsky,  Sourin  and  Tomsky, 
who  were  also  present,  endeavoured  to  prevent  him 
from  engaging  in  such  a  reckless  game,  reminding 
him  of  the  bad  luck  he  always  experienced  at  cards  ; 
but  their  efforts  were  unavailing,  and  the  play  began 
at  once. 

To  the  astonishment  of  all,  the  first  game  fell  to 
Herman,  who  won  with  his  three  ;  and,  encouraged 
by  this,  he  doubled  the  stakes  and  won  a  second  time 
with  the  seven.  Already  a  large  fortune  was  his  ; 
but,  not  satisfied  with  this,  the  rash  young  officer, 
elated  with  his  success,  insisted  upon  a  third  game, 
staking  all  upon  a  single  card — and  lost  ! 

Instead  of  turning  up  the  ace,  as  foretold  by  the 
apparition  of  the  Countess,  he  saw,  to  his  horror,  that 


238  STORIES  FROM  THE  RUSSIAN  OPERAS 

he  held  in  his  hand  the  Queen  of  Spades  !  At  the  same 
moment,  he  once  more  beheld  the  spectre  of  the  sinister 
old  Countess,  who  had  been  his  evil  genius  and  had 
thus  brought  him  to  utter  ruin,  appearing  to  smile  in 
triumph  at  his  downfall ;  and,  filled  with  the  madness 
of  despair,  the  unhappy  Herman  plunged  a  dagger 
into  his  heart  as  his  ghostly  deceiver  vanished  from 
sight. 


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